Systems and methods for establishing communications between mobile device users

ABSTRACT

Provided are systems and methods for establishing a communication between mobile device users that register with a collaboration system. The collaboration system determines a match between profile data of the first registered mobile device and profile data of the second registered mobile device. Displayed at the first registered mobile device is a first list of user identifications, which includes an identification of a user of the second registered mobile device and an identification of a user of at least one other mobile device. Displayed at the second registered mobile device is a second list of user identifications. The second list includes an identification of a user of the first registered mobile device and an identification of at least one other mobile device user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/673,099, filed Nov. 4, 2019, entitled “Systemsand Methods for Establishing Communications Between Mobile DeviceUsers,” which is a continuation application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/178,766, filed Nov. 2, 2018, entitled “Systems and Methodsfor Establishing Communications Between Mobile Device Users,” which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/041,179,filed Jul. 20, 2018 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,390,191, entitled“Systems and Methods for Establishing Communications Between MobileDevice Users,” which is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/029,165, filed Jul. 6, 2018 and issued as U.S.Pat. No. 10,117,075, entitled “Systems and Methods for EstablishingCommunications Between Mobile Device Users,” which is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/669,598, filed Aug.4, 2017 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,117,074, entitled “Systems andMethods for Establishing Communications Between Mobile Device Users,”which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/410,385, filed Jan. 19, 2017 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,763,070 onSep. 12, 2017, entitled “Systems and Methods for EstablishingCommunications Between Mobile Device Users,” which is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/044,739, filed Feb.16, 2016 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,584,464 on Feb. 28, 2017,entitled “Systems and Methods for Establishing Communications BetweenMobile Device Users,” which claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/744,367, filed Jan. 17, 2013 and issued as U.S. Pat. No.9,294,428 on Mar. 22, 2016, entitled “Systems and Methods forEstablishing Communications Between Mobile Device Users,” which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/587,946, filed onJan. 18, 2012 entitled “Geospatial-Based Detection System”, U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/680,949, filed on Aug. 8, 2012,entitled “Collaboration Platform,” and U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 61/746,638, filed on Dec. 28, 2012, entitled “Privacy Method forSocial Networking Platforms,” the entirety of each of which isincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The inventive concepts relate generally to mobile device applications.More specifically, the inventive concepts relate to systems and methodsthat provide privacy and security for mobile device users and thatremove barriers and inefficiencies with respect to electroniccommunications established with other mobile device users in a socialnetworking or other collaborative environment.

BACKGROUND

Social and professional networking is a popular online activity andcontinues to grow, particularly on mobile devices. In order to performonline activities related to sharing information, users can registerwith a social networking service or the like, then enter personal orprofessional profile information at a mobile device such as asmartphone. The user can use search or location tracking featuresprovided by the service to connect and engage in a communication withother mobile device users.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, provided is a method for establishing a communicationbetween mobile device users. In the method, a plurality of mobiledevices registers with a collaboration system. Each mobile deviceincludes profile data. The collaboration system determines that a firstregistered mobile device and a second registered mobile device are at asame vicinity. The collaboration system determines a match betweenprofile data of the first registered mobile device and profile data ofthe second registered mobile device. Displayed at the first registeredmobile device in response to the match is a first list of useridentifications. The first list includes an identification of a user ofthe second registered mobile device and an identification of a user ofat least one other mobile device. Displayed at the second registeredmobile device in response to the match is a second list of useridentifications. The second list includes an identification of a user ofthe first registered mobile device and an identification of at least oneother mobile device user.

In another aspect, provided is a method for establishing a communicationbetween mobile devices. A plurality of mobile devices is registered witha collaboration system, each mobile device including profile data. Thecollaboration system processes the profile data of each registeredmobile device. A user status is selected by each of a user of a firstregistered mobile device and a user of a second registered mobiledevice. The collaboration system determines that the users of the firstand second registered mobile devices, respectively, selected a same userstatus. The collaboration system determines that the users of the firstand second registered mobile devices, respectively, are within apredetermined geographic area with respect to each other. Thecollaboration system displays at the first registered mobile device afirst list of user identifications, the first list including anidentification of the user of the second registered mobile device. Thecollaboration system displays at the second registered mobile device asecond list of user identifications, the second list including anidentification of the user of the first registered mobile device.

In another aspect, provided is a method for remote or non-location basedmatching for providing user privacy or security. A plurality of mobiledevices is registered with a collaboration system. Each mobile deviceincludes profile data. The collaboration system determines that users ofthe first and second registered mobile devices, respectively, share asame user status. The collaboration system determines a match betweenprofile data of the first registered mobile device and profile data ofthe second registered mobile device. Displayed at the first registeredmobile device in response to the match is an alert that includes a firstlist of user identifications. The first list including an identificationof a user of the second registered mobile device and an identificationof a user of at least one other mobile device. Displayed at the secondregistered mobile device in response to the match is an alert thatincludes a second list of user identifications. The second listincluding an identification of a user of the first registered mobiledevice and an identification of at least one other mobile device user.

In another aspect, provided is a system for establishing a communicationbetween a plurality of mobile devices, comprising: a processor thatreceives registration data from a plurality of mobile devices; aprocessor that determines first and second registered mobile deviceshave a common profile data element; a processor that determines a matchbetween the first and second registered mobile device users based on thecommon profile data element; a processor that generates and outputs tothe first registered mobile device in response to the match a first listof user identifications, the first list including an identification of auser of the second registered mobile device and an identification of auser of at least one other mobile device; and a processor that generatesand outputs to the second registered mobile device in response to thematch a second list of user identifications, the second list includingan identification of a user of the first registered mobile device and anidentification of at least one other mobile device user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in which embodiments of thepresent inventive concepts can be practiced;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of establishing acommunication between mobile device users, in accordance with anembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the establishment of a communicationbetween two mobile devices, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the establishment of a communicationbetween two mobile devices, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of coupon offering inresponse to a location-based match, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of establishing acommunication between mobile device users, in accordance with anembodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the establishment of a communicationbetween two mobile devices at different locations, in accordance with anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, specific details are set forth although itshould be appreciated by one of ordinary skill that the systems andmethods can be practiced without at least some of the details. In someinstances, known features or processes are not described in detail so asnot to obscure the present invention.

Privacy and safety concerns exist with respect to the online posting andsharing of personal and location information. For example,location-based social networking services now permit mobile device usersto track the location of their friends and even strangers via theirmobile devices.

Service providers providing location-tracking features may provide userssome elements of control over their privacy settings. For example,service providers may permit users to expose their personal informationonly to a designated audience, for example, the user's friends andfamily, while restricting unauthorized parties such as strangers fromviewing or otherwise accessing this information.

Traditional Web-based social and professional networking platforms arebeing made available for mobile device users to manage their personalprofiles, contact lists, and related information. These platforms mayalso leverage the location tracking features available with modernsmartphones, for example, informing a mobile device user about otherusers in the mobile device user's contact list who are in the same localarea as the mobile device user. However, the user must provide alocation-based networking platform with personal information, e.g., acontact list or social network and location tracking permissions, whichcan introduce privacy or safety concerns. For example, an unsuspectinguser such as a minor may be in close proximity with a potentiallyhostile user, for example, a stranger, who may be provided by thenetworking platform with knowledge of the whereabouts of theunsuspecting user, which can provide an opportunity to physicallyinteract with the unsuspecting user. In another example, a user'scontact list may include an ex-boyfriend. However, the user may not wishthe ex-boyfriend to use a location-tracking feature to know herwhereabouts. In other cases, users may not want their contacts to knowtheir whereabouts at certain times or in certain situations. Other usersmay desire the flexibility to select when, where and with whom theywould like to present their personal information such as a currentlocation.

One approach for protecting location privacy is to allow users to createprivate areas or ‘hiding spots’, where a user's presence at a particularlocation is hidden to others. However, this feature requires significantmanual programming for each hiding spot location. Also, modifying theseuser settings to selectively permit other mobile device users to “see”the user at different times, in different locations, and across dynamicsocial situations, can be cumbersome.

Another approach provides the ability for a user to pre-configure a“circle of friends” designated to have knowledge of the user's location.However, a user's preferences for sharing a location with the circle offriends may vary depending on the location, the time of day, theirstatus or current social situation, etc. It can become cumbersome toselect and unselect users from a pre-configured circle of friends on areal-time basis.

Some location-based social networking environments publish the presenceof mobile device users at a location, for example, on a map displayed onthe mobile device screen, and provide features that permit a user tocontrol who can see them, e.g., only direct contacts, so the user is notviewable among the broader list of users to any non direct contact user.However, these approaches are static, unidirectional, i.e., one userinitiates, and do not protect the privacy of the other users in the arearelative to that user, i.e., that user is concealed with respect to theother users, but the other users are still visible to that user and thustheir privacy is not protected.

Also, the abovementioned approaches do not take into account “secondarycontacts.” Here, a “friend of a friend” or other indirect secondarycontact may be in the same vicinity as a mobile device user. Theabovementioned approaches can make the secondary contact and the mobiledevice users aware of each other's presence in the vicinity at the sametime. However, neither party may be interested in communicating with theother ever, or just in that particular moment. As mentioned above,hiding spots or the like require significant manual operation and arelimited with respect to providing privacy for both parties.

In brief overview, systems and methods in accordance with embodiments ofthe present inventive concepts assist users of smartphones or othermobile devices to detect friends and interesting people in a flexibleand private manner, and remove conventional barriers and inefficienciesto interactions that may occur after two or more mobile device users areidentified for a possible communication. In an embodiment, a roamingmobile device automatically scans a surrounding area for other mobiledevices which meet predetermined search criteria established by themobile device user, for example, other mobile devices determined to bein a same vicinity and/or that share a common interest, attribute,status, or profile. The roaming mobile device user can be presented witha list of names or identifiers of other mobile device users when a“match” is found, e.g., another mobile device user is identified asbeing in the same vicinity and/or determined to share a common interest,attribute, current status, and so on as the roaming mobile device. Oneof the identifiers on the list corresponds to the other mobile deviceidentified in the match. The other identifiers can correspond to othermobile device users who may or may not have a relationship with theroaming mobile device user and/or may or may not actually be in the samevicinity but are determined to be “believable” to the viewer, i.e., thelist is persuasive in that the user believes that the other mobiledevice users are indeed candidates for communication with the roamingmobile device user. Similarly, the discovered mobile device, i.e., theother device determined from the match, receives a list of names orother identifiers of other mobile device users, one of which is the nameor identifier of the roaming mobile device. If the discovered mobiledevice user is selected from the roaming mobile device's list, and theroaming device user is selected from the discovered device's list, thenthe identity, location, status, and/or other personal information ofeach of the two parties, i.e., the roaming device user and thediscovered device user, are revealed to each other, and a communicationcan be established between the two mobile devices. An important featureof the present inventive concepts is that anonymity is preserved unlessboth users mutually select each other, i.e., mutually “opt-in” to beconnected. In particular, anonymity is preserved if one of theidentified users of the match does not select the other identified userfrom the displayed list. Anonymity is also preserved if a firstidentified user selects a second identified user but the secondidentified user doesn't select the first identified user. In view of thedisplayed list including several possible users, a mobile device userdoesn't know whether another user is actually in the vicinity or isotherwise available to communicate unless each user agrees tocommunicate with the other, or “opts-in”. Thus, a map configured todisplay on a mobile device the locations of other mobile devices may notdisplay the location, or exact location, and or identifying informationof the other user unless the other user mutually selects the user of themobile device displaying the map.

The systems and methods in accordance with embodiments include anautomatic introduction tool providing geospatially active features thatfacilitate users to meet each other. Other applications can include butnot be limited to general social interactions, for example, where twoindividuals are in the same vicinity and may be interested in being madeaware of each other's availability in order to initiate a personalencounter such as a meeting. Related applications can includematchmaking services, where a mobile device user wishes to search forcompanions, for example, new friends, dates, exercise partners, travelcompanions, roommates, buyers or sellers for used goods, and so on.Regardless of the application, a list of possible dates, new friends,etc. are presented, at least one of which shares a common attribute,feature, or the like with the searching device, and the others beinggenerated so that the viewer may believe that they are possible dates,new friends, etc.

Other applications can relate to business applications such as sales ormarketing campaigns. For example, the name of a sales person determinedto be in close physical proximity to a business owner can be displayed abusiness owner's mobile device among a list of other mobile deviceusers, and vice versa. Accordingly, the business owner can opt whetherto reveal his current location and/or status to the sales person. Inanother example, two mobile device users who indicate that each isinterested in meeting for coffee can each receive a coupon offered by acoffee shop in the same vicinity as both users. As non-limitingexamples, coupons may be presented as a single coupon or multiplecoupons may be presented with an interface that allows the user theability to browse, select from various categories, research the vendors,actively vote on their preferences with other connected user(s), etc.Although two users are described in a match, in other embodiments, morethan two users, or groups of users, can be organized into a group. Forexample, a group of users can meet at a restaurant, and coupons can bepresented to the group or groups of users who are in a same vicinity asthe restaurant.

A feature of the systems and methods in accordance with embodiments isthat a mobile device user is less likely to experience a sense ofrejection by another user, which might otherwise occur when both mobiledevice users are fully aware of the other's actual presence or statusand a mobile device user attempts to contact the other mobile deviceuser but does not receive a response from the other mobile device user.For example, after being matched a first mobile device user may agree toreveal her identity and status to a second mobile device user byselecting a second mobile device user from a list of contacts presentedat the first user's mobile device, but the second mobile device user maynot be interested in communicating with the first mobile device user ata particular moment, even if the first mobile device user is a goodfriend or family member, and thus they may decide not to select thefirst user. In this case, neither matched users' identity and currentlocation or status is revealed to the other and each user may receive amessage from the system that a mutual opt-in did not occur. Accordingly,the systems and methods in accordance with an embodiment provide anenvironment where the first user can rationalize that the second userwasn't actually nearby or sharing a similar status, or was unavailable,and avoid a sense of rejection where the first user wants to chat withthe second user, but not vice-versa. In one embodiment, a user may belimited to the number of users he or she may select on their devicelist. For example, if they are presented a list of five possible userswho are the match, they may be limited to select only a maximum of fourfrom their list. Thus, there would always be one user they were not ableto select, even if they wanted to communicate with all the users ontheir list. If a mutual opt-in does not occur, the user may rationalizethat the one user they were not able to select was the user with whomthey were matched and thus they could avoid feeling a sense of rejectionassuming it was the user who they didn't have the opportunity to selectwho was actually there.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment 10 in which embodiments ofthe present inventive concepts can be practiced.

The environment 10 can include a social networking environment orrelated environment where a communication can occur between two or moreelectronic devices, in particular, mobile devices 12A, 12B, 12C(generally, 12). Such communications can include the exchange ofmessages, voice, video, and/or other data such as profile information orlocation coordinates, between two or more of the mobile devices 12and/or a computer system 20 over a network 16. A service provider suchas a social networking service can facilitate communications betweenelectronic device users, for example, users at mobile devices 12. Otherelements (not shown) of the environment 10 can include but not belimited to GPS, geotagging, electronic beacons, desktop or non-mobilecomputers, databases, cloud computing applications, and other networkcomputing hardware and software components known to those of ordinaryskill in the art.

The mobile devices 12 can include personal digital assistants (PDA) orsmartphones, tablet devices, wireless computers, or other electronicdevices having the ability to exchange data with the network 16. Eachmobile device 12 can have a display screen, speaker, and/or otherinput/output (I/O) device for presenting text, graphics, voice, video,recorded messages, and/or other data exchanged in the environment 10,and for providing roaming features. The mobile devices 12 can havedifferent configurations, for example, different display sizes, formfactors, connection speeds, and/or other physical or electronicdistinguishing features.

The participant mobile devices 12 can be geographically separate fromeach other, and can communicate with each other and/or the computersystem 20 via the network 16, for example, a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN), a mobile communications network, a data network, such asa local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), or a combinationthereof, or other communication network known to those of ordinary skillin the art.

The computer system 20 can be part of, or in electronic communicationwith, an application server or related processing device (not shown) viathe network 16, for example, a social networking server, or othernon-mobile social networking platforms, such as a conventional on-linesystems. The computer system 20 may be a stand-alone server and/or acloud-based or scalable network-based platform. The computer system 20can include one or more processors 22 such as a central processing unit(CPU), a memory 24, and an input/output (I/O) logic 32, which cancommunicate with each other via a bus 34, for example, a peripheralcomponent interconnect (PCI) bus. The I/O logic 32 can include a networkinterface card (NIC) or other adaptor for connecting the computer system20 with the network 16.

The memory 24 can include volatile memory, for example, random accessmemory (RAM) and the like, and/or non-volatile memory, for example,read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and the like. The memory 24 caninclude removable and/or non-removable storage media implemented inaccordance with methods and technologies known to those of ordinaryskill in the art for storing data. Stored in the memory 24 can includeprogram code of an operating system (OS) 28 and a collaboration system26 executed by one or more processors 22. The program code can carry outoperations for aspects of the present inventive concepts. The programcode may execute entirely on one or more computers, for example computer20 and/or mobile devices 12, partly on the user's computer and/or mobiledevices 12, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'sdevice and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer maycommunicate with other elements of the environment 10 through any typeof network, including the network 16.

The collaboration system 26 can employ hardware and/or program codestored in the memory 24 or other storage device, and is executed by aprocessor at the computer system 20. The collaboration system 26 caninclude, or otherwise establish a communication with a computer thatincludes, a network-based, geospatial search tool that can continuouslyor intermittently search for the presence and/or location of mobiledevices 12 and/or detectable objects, such as a stationary business, forexample, a restaurant. A location of a mobile device 12, or otherobjects, may be tracked using GPS, by triangulation or relatedtechniques using mobile network towers, and/or with local antennas usingother mobile devices 12 on the network. In the latter case, a mobilephone 12 on the network 16 can recognize the presence of another device,for example, via Bluetooth, GPS, or other wireless technology, and thentransmit the location information to the collaboration system 26. Othertypes of geospatial analysis can be equally performed. User positioningdata, current and historical user locations or registered users, and/orother geospatial pattern history data, can be stored at thecollaboration system 26 or other storage device in communication withthe collaboration system 26, the mobile devices 12, and/or otherelements of the environment 10.

The collaboration system 26 can process information, or profile data,related to the registered mobile devices 12. Profile data elements caninclude, but not be limited to, a mobile device user's status, e.g.,hungry or bored, personal interests, direct and/or shared socialrelationships provided for example as contact data, associatedattributes about the user, e.g. job title, desired search or scanningpreferences such as a designated search radii about the mobile device,current or historical location data, and/or other relevant userinformation. Profile data can be derived from contact lists or otherdata sources stored locally at a mobile device 12, and/or be derivedfrom external sources, such as personal profile data retrieved from anonline social media account, a database, e-mail exchange, human resourcedata source, and/or other repository containing profile data that isaccessible by the collaboration system 26 via the network 16. Profiledata, registered user account information, device settings, preferences,and the like can be stored in a table format or the like at a datarepository, for example, the memory 24 of the collaboration system, orother storage device in communication with the environment 10. Thecollaboration system 26 can process, and optionally store, other datarelated to mobile device communications such as current or past locationinformation of the mobile devices 12, user usage statistics, and/ormobile device contact data which can be used in accordance withembodiments of the present inventive concepts.

The collaboration system 26 can compare the location data, profile data,search criteria, and/or other data related to a mobile device 12 toidentify a common location, attribute, or other profile data shared bytwo or more mobile devices 12. The collaboration system 26 can generatea match result when a comparison produces profile data or relatedinformation that is common to different mobile device users 12. Forexample, a match result can be generated when the collaboration system26 establishes that two mobile devices 12 are in a same city block andthat the user of each mobile device 12 indicates as a status that he orshe is hungry.

In another embodiment, group matching can occur between two or moremobile devices 12. This can include receiving, by each of the registeredmobile devices 12, a notification of information related to at least oneother of the registered mobile devices 12. A user of each of the two ormore registered mobile devices 12 can select an identification of the atleast one other of the two or more registered mobile devices. A directcommunication can be established between registered mobile devices ofthe two or more registered mobile devices identified as being part of acommon group of the at least one group. For example, a plurality ofmobile device users can receive an alert of the presence, shared status,location, or other profile data regarding other registered mobiledevices. Each can select from a list generated in accordance to a methoddescribed in accordance with an embodiment, for example, describedherein. The collaboration system 26 can include a processor thatidentifies one or more compatible or common groups, for example, groupsin which each person selects all other mobile devices in that group.

The collaboration system 26 can provide registered mobile devices 12with a Simultaneous or near-simultaneous, multi-way opt-in feature whena match is determined between two or more devices. The collaborationsystem 26 can generate an alert, a notification, or the like, which isprovided to each mobile device 12 identified in the match result. A usermay establish different alerts for various matches received. Forexample, a user can set an audible alert when a close contact or friendis detected nearby and identified in a match. In another example, a usermay set all non-close contacts in the mobile device contact list, e.g.,a contact who is not a friend or immediate family member, to a silentmode and receive a silent alert such as a text message if a non-closecontact is identified in a match. The alert, notification, or the likecan include a list of other mobile device users, which includes theother mobile device 12 identified in the match result, and also includesidentifiers of other people generated by the collaboration system 26 whomay or may not be “real” people, i.e., fictitious names generatedaccording to an algorithm, technique, or the like, and determined to be“believable.” An example of a fictional “believable person” includesinformation such as a name or other identifier determined by thecollaboration system 26 to be possibly recognized by the user as being aperson that the user may know or be acquainted with, which is presentedto the mobile device 12 as being in the same vicinity as the user,having a common interest, and so on, even though the “person” presentedto the mobile device 12 is not in fact a real person. The algorithm,technique, or the like for generating user identifications for a listdisplayed in response to a match result can retrieve stored profile dataof other users, and modify the profile data to maximize the‘believability’ of the list. This feature of presenting a list of“believable users” to a mobile device 12 provides a level of privacy forthe mobile device 12 by ensuring that a mobile device identified fromthe match result is not immediately aware of the other's full identityand/or actual location or status. In establishing a “believable” mobiledevice user for the list, the collaboration system 26 may employ anyvariety of techniques to selectively choose which user identificationsare to be displayed in the list, so as to make ‘believable’ the presenceof a potential user on a list. For example, if a user of the mobiledevice 12C is at an airport in another country, only other users whocould actually be at that airport may be displayed to maximize the‘believability’ of the profile options presented. Alternatively, userspresented on a displayed list can include real and/or fictitious people,which can be generated by the collaboration system 26 from profile dataof other registered mobile device users, or created randomly accordingto a name generator at the collaboration system 26 that optimizes theprofiles presented to maximize the believability of the list.

The collaboration system 26 may assess numerous parameters from profiledata of other registered mobile devices to identify a ‘likely’ or‘probable’ list of mobile devices for the list. These parameters caninclude profile data such as the actual or probable location of theother mobile devices at the time of the match determination, devicelocation traces in the past and the timing of the traces, user home andoffice locations, user interests, user profile and status information,e.g., information identifying a person with a baby who is near a daycare center, user privacy settings, e.g., settings designating the areaof interest as a user ‘hiding spot’, and/or historical information,e.g., a track record indicating that during the previous five days theuser was at a particular location.

The collaboration system 26 can present other notification data inaddition to matched users and lists. For example, the collaborationsystem 26 can assess user locations relative to stationary points ofinterest such as a restaurant. Here, the collaboration system 26 cannotify a user that the restaurant is nearby. Accordingly, thecollaboration system 26 can make a mobile device user aware ofbusinesses, products, services, or other location-based objects that theuser may be interested in, for example, being alerted that a Sushirestaurant is nearby. In this example, the user while walking down asidewalk may receive an alert at the user's mobile device to a virtualgeo-tagged coupon that has been “posted” in the vicinity of the Sushirestaurant. Geospatial information such as the presence and location ofretail stores, restaurants, public transportation centers, and so on,can likewise be stored at the collaboration system 26 or other storagedevice in communication with the environment 10.

In another embodiment, the collaboration system 26 can remotely connectmobile device users, even when they are not in a same location. Here, aninitiating user can provide the collaboration system 26 with profiledata such as a current status, for example, indicating that the user isavailable for an electronic “chat,” “game,” or the like. Thecollaboration system 26 can identify other registered mobile deviceshaving the same status, and are also determined to be available for anelectronic chat, game, or the like. The system 26 can then generate analert for the initiating user and one or more other identified usershaving the same status. The identities of the initiating user andanother identifier user are only revealed to each other after eachselects the other from a corresponding list of candidate users andmutually opts-in, or otherwise agrees, to chat or play a game.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method 200 of establishing acommunication between mobile device users, in accordance with anembodiment. In describing the method 200, reference can be made toelements of FIG. 1. Some or all of the method 200 can be performed atthe computer system 20, one or more intermediary devices (not shown butwell-known to those of ordinary skill in the art such as servers,routers, and so on) at the network 16, and/or mobile devices 12 of FIG.1, for example, governed by instructions that are stored in a memory ofthe computer system 20 and/or one or more mobile devices 12 and executedby one or more processors of the collaboration system 26 of the computersystem 20 and/or one or more mobile devices 12.

At block 202, two or more mobile devices 12, for example, mobile devices12A and 12B, register with the collaboration system 26. A mobile device12 can register with the collaboration system 26 via a user interfacedisplayed at the mobile device 12, or from another computer, or from adisplay directly attached to the collaboration system. As part of theregistration process, a user of each mobile device 12A, 12B canestablish an account on the system 26 and enter profile data, which canbe processed by the collaboration system 26, for example, to perform anoperation in accordance with an embodiment. As described herein, profiledata can include user contact information or other social relationshipdata, user status information, for example, a status indicating that theuser is currently hungry or bored and/or available for communication,personal details, associated attributes, and/or desired search criteriaor scanning preferences, for example, a designated search radius of 1mile from a current location of the mobile device 12. As describedherein, profile data can include other location data, and/or otherrelevant configuration data, for example, permission to monitor alocation of a mobile device 12 according to one or more localization andtracking methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art, forexample, using GPS techniques. The profile data can be stored at a tableor other data format on a storage device so that the profile data isassociated with the user's established account data. In addition topersonal profile data, a commercial user may provide the collaborationsystem 26 with information about a business such as its products,services, target customers, coupons, and so on. In this example, thebusiness may be at a location frequently visited by a user. In anotherexample, a mobile device user can submit preferences related to otherpeople, places, or things, e.g., other mobile devices, that the system26 is permitted to detect and the manner in which the user may benotified.

Scanning preferences, search criteria, and/or other configurationinformation can include information about whom or what local informationthe system 26 may detect and the manner in which the user is to bepresented with a notification, for example, settings associated withwhat profile data is permitted to be displayed or visible to othermobile device users. For example, profile data for a mobile device 12Amay be ‘tiered’ and only made available to other mobile devices 12 thatmeet certain criteria established by the user of the mobile device,e.g., buddy list contacts, those who are affiliated with the samebusiness, etc. A tiered configuration may permit only a limited amountof information to be initially displayed at the other mobile device 12user's list, for example, user name or handle only. If two partiesselect each other from a list, then additional profile information canbe revealed, according to configuration parameters defined by eachparty. In another example, the configuration system 26 can be configuredto permit some registered users having certain profile data in commonwith profile data of the mobile device user 12A to see some or allinformation related to the common profile data, while providing otherregistered users with limited information, for example, the user'sscreen name.

In a tiered configuration, initially the users may only see user pictureicons on their respective lists. They may be able to select a user'sphoto and see limited information about them (e.g., “Tier 1”information) such as hometown, age, etc. If users mutually select eachother from their respective lists, then they may see more information(e.g., “Tier 2” information) such as a university, an employer, hobbies,etc. After chatting in a chat window, if both parties are comfortablewith each other, each may choose to ‘release’ profile information toallow the other to see it in its entirety (e.g., “Tier 3” information)such as name, e-mail address, friend list, etc.

In another example, a user can create a “public profile” and a“company/internal profile”. Other users who work in the same company mayview contents of the company/internal profile that can includeconfidential information. Other mobile device users in the same vicinitywho are not authorized to view this information may only see the user'spublic profile, which includes non-confidential information.

A user of a registered mobile device 12 may provide inputs orinstructions to the collaboration system 26 to assist the system 26 inidentifying, screening, prioritizing, categorizing, or otherwisedifferentiating mobile devices 12, or local features or objects, whichmay be detected during a geospatial scanning and detection operation inaccordance with an embodiment of the present inventive concepts, forexample, during block 204 described below. One way that the system 26can differentiate detected mobile devices 12 or local features orobjects is to establish a prioritization or weighting to searchattributes. This can be accomplished by a user individually ranking eachsearch criteria, e.g., university attended or a hometown, according to alevel of importance, for example, “High” or “Low”. Another method inaccordance with an embodiment can include the ranking of search criteriaaccording to groupings, for example, assigning multiple search criteriato a “High Importance” or “Must Have” grouping, or to a “Low Importance”or “Nice to Have” grouping, to simplify the process of navigatingthrough all the individual search criteria. As the user ranks eachsearch criteria, the list of displayed criteria, as described herein,may behave ‘dynamically’ to further facilitate the ranking task. Forexample, the list may collapse as criteria are ranked or assigned, i.e.,those ranked items are hidden, or those ranked may turn gray, or thoseranked may move away from the master list and to a separate ‘Ranked’list. Eventually the user may move some or all of the criteria from thefirst list to the second list that is used by the system as the activelist that will be used to conduct searches. The collaboration system 26can include a configurable search sensitivity meter, which can controlthe presentation of the number and/or frequency of other registeredmobile devices that are detected, matched and presented to a user. Forexample, mobile device 12A profile data may include a scanningpreference to monitor all mobile devices identified within a one-mileradius of the current location of the mobile device 12A. However, insome environments such as an urban setting or city, the collaborationsystem 26 may identify a large number of registered mobile devices 12.Since a typical mobile device display screen is incapable of efficientlydisplaying a large number of device names or identifiers, thecollaboration system 26 can be configured to establish matchingpreference settings to control the volume, frequency, and/or quality ofmatches made by the system 26. The meter can include a governor orrelated control mechanism to control the frequency or volume of matchresult alerts that a mobile device 12 may receive. The governor orrelated control mechanism can be configured to accommodate a mobiledevice in an area with a substantial number of potential matches, forexample, by modifying a setting for a “high quality match only” and onlyreceive an alert if there is a high degree of match. Other settings caninclude a low setting, which can detect and/or display any mobile devicewithin a predefined range, or a medium setting, which can prioritize thedetection and/or display of discovered mobile devices with certainprofile data search criteria that match search criteria established bythe roaming mobile device. Other settings can include a high setting,which detects and/or alerts the user if an ideal user that matches allsearch criteria is in the range of the roaming mobile device. Othersettings may include a “snooze” button that provides a user the abilityto temporarily block alerts according to pre-determined preferences suchas for a period of time, or until they change locations, etc. Thus, inhigh-density user areas where a user is receiving too many matchingalerts, the system 26 can be configured to provide a pause in order tolimit or suspend alerts.

Alternatively, a user may choose to allow for random alerts, forexample, provided as notifications to the roaming mobile device whenanother mobile device satisfying some, none, or all of the predefinedsearch criteria is in the same vicinity as the roaming mobile device.The user of the roaming mobile device may enter or select various manualor custom search criteria that will be used by the system 26 to searchfor other mobile devices or objects, features, etc. These searchcriteria may be populated and saved at the computer system 20. During anoperation, a mobile device user can enter search criteria in a text boxor the like, select from pre-defined search criteria, execute variousother pre-defined search algorithms to identify ‘mutual matches’, i.e.,which identify registered user(s) with whom the roaming device usershares common attributes, features, and so on. Another feature caninclude ‘reverse matches’, i.e., which identifies registered users whoare looking for the user's mobile device.

At block 204, the collaboration system 26 monitors, tracks, or otherwisedetermines the locations of the registered mobile devices 12, forexample, using GPS, Wi-Fi, cell towers, or any other local or regionalwireless network, or related location tracking technologies to determinethe movement and locations of the mobile device 12. Current andhistorical location data can be stored at the collaboration system 26and/or at a separate data storage device in communication with thecollaboration system 26.

A registered user can establish a distance setting as search criteria,which can be stored and processed at the collaboration system 26. Forexample, the collaboration system 26 can be configured to monitor alocation of the mobile device 12A, and to scan the current location ofthe mobile device 12A for other mobile devices 12 that are within a 100feet from the mobile device 12A.

A registered mobile device user can submit several different profiles tothe collaboration system 26, and activate a preferred profile for thesystem 26 to use when searching for other mobile devices. For example,the user may establish a weekday profile and a weekend profile withdifferentiated information. The user may manually activate the weekendprofile on a Friday night. Alternately, the system 26 may automaticallyactivate the weekend profile if an automatic alarm setting has beenestablished for each profile. Here, the activated profile can becompared to the profile data of mobile devices detected during thesearch. The user can provide additional inputs or instruction to assistthe system 26 in identifying, screening, prioritizing, categorizing, orotherwise differentiating registered mobile devices, or local featuresor objects, that it may detect. One or more geospatial scanning anddetection techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art can beperformed when searching for the presence of other mobile devices and/ordetectable objects such as restaurants or other stationary businesses.

At block 206, a profile data match is determined between two or moreregistered mobile devices 12. The profile data match can be determinedin response to a geospatial scanning operation, for example, describedherein. The collaboration system 26 can determine a profile data matchfrom a comparison between profile data corresponding to the mobiledevice 12A and profile data of the mobile device 12B. In determining amatch, the collaboration system 26 may apply one or more techniques,methods, algorithms, and the like to match attributes and/or searchterms of a user's profile data with profile data of other mobile deviceusers. For example, a determination can be made that mobile devices 12Aand 12B have at least one attribute, interest, status, or other profiledata or information in common. For example, a profile data match mayoccur when the collaboration system 26 establishes that the users of themobile devices 12A, 12B, respectively, are each hungry, which can beachieved by the users selecting a status at the mobile devices 12A, 12B,respectively, that he or she is hungry, and/or establishes that theusers have a mutual friend, and/or are each at or near a samerestaurant.

In another example, the collaboration system 26 may generate a matchresult in response to a determination that mobile device users 12A and12B are both at a same shopping mall, and that the profile data ofmobile device 12A includes information indicating that mobile deviceuser 12A is interested in martial arts, and that mobile device user 12Bis also interested in martial arts. In one example, mobile device users12A and 12B can have a known relationship. The strength of arelationship can be established by a predetermined “degree ofseparation” with respect to each other. The term “degrees of separation”derives from a well-known social networking concept that each person isa predetermined number of relationships from any other person, typicallyanywhere from one to six relationships. A lesser degree of separation,i.e., a smaller number of relationships, indicates a strongerrelationship. On the other hand, a greater degree of separation, i.e., alarger number of relationships, indicates a weaker relationship. Thecollaboration system 26 can be configured to generate match results inresponse to a predetermined strength of the relationship, for example,no more than two degrees of separation. For example, if mobile deviceusers 12A and 12B are former college roommates, there is a directrelationship, or first degree of separation, between them. In anotherexample, if mobile device user 12A is a “friend of a friend” of mobiledevice user 12B, there is an indirect relationship, more specifically, asecond degree of separation, i.e., a difference of two relationships,and so on. In other embodiments, the degree of separation is notconsidered, or is greater than a predetermined number of relationships,for example, greater than a fourth degree of separation. Thus, mobiledevice user 12A and 12B can be strangers to each other, but cannevertheless be candidates for a possible match. A display or graphicalrepresentation of the relationship, referred to as a social graph, maybe presented during a “tiered” information release to each user to allowthem to make a more accurate determination of whether or not they wouldmutually benefit from communicating with each other.

Profile matching can be performed automatically or continuously, forexample, without a specific request made by a mobile device.Alternatively, profile match requests can be initiated by the user. Forexample, a mobile device user may be hungry, and activate thecollaboration system 26 to locate friends or strangers who are in closephysical proximity to the requesting user, and have profile dataindicating that they are likewise hungry.

At block 208, one or more mobile devices 12 are identified for displayat each mobile device 12A, 12B when a match is established between twoor more mobile devices 12. The first mobile device 12A can be presentedwith a plurality of user profiles, or list, representing individuals whomay possibly be in the same vicinity as the first mobile device 12A at aparticular moment. One of the identifiers on the presented list refersto the user of the mobile device 12B, which is determined from theprofile data match result. One or more identifiers on the presented listmay actually not have the same status. Instead, these identifiers are ofpeople who have some probability of having the same status or could bebelievable by the user of the first mobile device 12A to have the samestatus. The list can include random people from the mobile device user'scontact list or friend network, or can include registered usersidentified from a 2-hop network, or strangers from an H-hop network,where H>2. The H-hop network can be modelled according to degrees ofseparation described herein. The identifiers on a list may correspond topeople who are not actually at the same location as the mobile devicedisplaying the list. Instead, these names may be of people who have someprobability of being present at the same location or could be believableby the user of the first mobile device 12A to be at the same location.Similarly, a second set of mobile devices is displayed at the secondmobile device 12B as possibly being at the same location as the firstmobile device 12A. One of the candidate users is the user of the mobiledevice 12A, which is likewise determined from the profile data matchresult. If multiple mobile device users are in the same vicinity as thefirst mobile device 12A, and multiple mutual matches are possible, forexample, several users are identified from the profile data matchresult, then the system 26 may display some or all of the identifiedusers.

Each mobile device user 12A, 12B has the option of selecting who theymay be open to meeting at that location at that time. Each selectionmade by the users of the first and second mobile devices 12A, 12B,respectively, can be stored at a table or the like at the memory 24 ofthe computer system 20. The collaboration system 26 can compare theselections made by the mobile device users to identify a mutualselection.

Accordingly, at decision diamond 210, a determination is made whetherthe mobile devices 12A, 12B select each other. If yes, then the method200 proceeds to block 212, where each mobile device user 12A, 12B ismade aware of each other's identity and location. Here, thecollaboration system 26 may transmit a message or signal to either orboth mobile devices 12A, 12B informing them of each other's presence,profile attributes, or other information. In this manner, theidentities, locations, and/or other profile data of the mobile deviceusers are revealed to each other only if the first mobile device userselects the second user's identifier from the list displayed at thefirst mobile device 12A and the second mobile device user selects thefirst user's identifier from the list displayed at the second mobiledevice 12B. Otherwise, the method 200 proceeds to block 214, where theabovementioned profile data, i.e., identity, location, and so on, of themobile devices 12A, 12B are not revealed to each other.

In this manner, each mobile device user has the ability to decide if heor she wishes to reveal his or her identity, presence and/or status tonone, several, or all of the individuals on their respective lists. Thecollaboration system 26 can be configured to prevent a user fromselecting all the users presented at the user's mobile device 12 toreduce the risk of rejection. For example, if the first mobile device12A is presented with a list having five names, but the first mobiledevice user is only permitted to select a maximum of four names, and nomatch is returned indicating that none of the users on the list selectedthe first mobile device user, the first mobile device user may assumethat the fifth name was actually at the location but that no matchoccurred because the first user did not have an opportunity to selectall including the fifth name.

If both parties to a match, e.g., the users of mobile devices 12A and12B choose to establish a communication, or “opt-in”, they can berevealed to each other, for example, each receiving a notification. Indoing so, each mobile device 12A, B can receive a displayed option tocommunicate with the other via a phone call, instant message (IM), shortmessage service (SMS) text message, email, or other form ofcommunication known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Anotification can include a communication window displayed at each mobiledevice 12A, 12B for providing the direct communication, the directcommunication including at least one of an instant message (IM), a shortmessage service (SMS), a phone call, or an electronic mail (email)message.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the establishment of a bi-directionalcommunication between two mobile devices, in accordance with anembodiment. In describing FIG. 3, reference is made to elements of FIGS.1 and 2. In FIG. 3, the mobile devices are smartphones. However, otherelectronic devices can equally apply.

A first smartphone 312A and a second smartphone 312B are each registeredwith the collaboration system 26. The collaboration system includesprofile data for each smartphone 312A, 312B, including interests,current and historical location data, contact lists, search criteria,and so on. The profile data can be manually or automatically enteredinto the collaboration system 26, for example, by users of thesmartphones 312A, 312B, respectively. Alternatively, or in addition, theprofile data can be automatically retrieved by the collaboration system26 from the smartphones 312A, 312B and/or other information sources, forexample, a social networking service subscribed to by users of thesmartphones 312A, 312B. The collaboration system 26 can be configured tomonitor a location of each smartphone 312A, 312B, and store the locationdata along with other profile data. Accordingly, the collaborationsystem 26 in concert with a mobile network can scan a geographic areafor other mobile devices, area businesses, local information, and so onbased on established search preferences or other rules provided by usersof the first and/or second smartphones 312A, 312B to determine when thesmartphones 312A, 312B are at a same or nearby location or vicinity.

The collaboration system 26 can determine that the first smartphone 312Ais at a same location as the second smartphone 312B, for example, a sameshopping mall. For example, a first user of the first smartphone 312Acan include profile data and search criteria indicating that the firstuser is interested in establishing communications with other registeredusers within 1 mile of the first smartphone 312A. The collaborationsystem 26 can also, or alternatively, determine from the profile data ofeach of the users of the smartphones 312A, 312B that the users have acommon interest, for example, sports, and can further determine that theshopping mall includes an athletic department.

The collaboration system 26 can generate a match result from this data.For example, the collaboration system 26 can generate a match result inresponse to a determination that the second smartphone 312B is within 1mile of the first smartphone 312A. The match result can include a list314A of mobile device users that is displayed at the first smartphone312A and a list 314B of mobile device users that is displayed at thesecond smartphone 312B. The first list 314A includes the name or otheridentifier of the user of the second smartphone 312B, i.e., “Romit.” Thesecond list 314B includes the name or other identifier of the user ofthe first smartphone 312A, i.e., “Chris.” The lists 314A, 314B may bepresented and managed in any variety of user interfaces, such as checkboxes, or a feature where the user moves selected list items to a ‘yes’bin, and moves rejected list items to a garbage can icon.

In an embodiment, either or both lists 314A, 314B is generated by aninteractive physical means such as a user “shaking” a mobile device, forexample, similar to rolling physical dice in a game. The collaborationsystem 26 can respond to the accelerometer (not shown) in an electronicdevice such as a smartphone. If a user wants to see who is out therethat might want coffee, or just if they have any contacts around, theuser can activate the system matching process described herein byphysically shaking their phone like a pair of dice. The mobile device 12being shaken can include sensors or the like to detect the rapidmovement, or shaking, of the device 12, which can activate a processorat the collaboration system 26 to generate a list, which can includecontacts, random users, system-created users, or a combination thereof.

A mutual acceptance or opt-in can occur when the user of the firstsmartphone 312A selects the second smartphone identifier, i.e., “Romit”,on the first list 314A and the user of the second smartphone 312Bselects the first smartphone identifier, i.e., “Chris”, on the secondlist 314B. Here, each smartphone 314A, 314B is alerted (notification)that the other is actually in the local area and/or shares a similarstatus, for example, by a notification message 316A, 316B generated bythe collaboration system 26. Thus, privacy can be provided in the formof an anonymous alert that is followed by a two way, mutual ‘opt-in’feature. After each smartphone user agrees to opt-in, other informationcan be displayed on the mobile devices 312A, 312B, such aslocation-based or non-location based marketing information, for example,coupons to a store that is determined by the collaboration system 26 tobe in the same vicinity as the smartphones 314A, 314B and matching theinterests, status or other profile attributes of the two users.Additional details regarding this feature are described herein.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the establishment of a communicationbetween two mobile devices, in accordance with an embodiment. Indescribing FIG. 4, reference is made to elements of FIGS. 1-3. In FIG.3, the mobile devices are smartphones. However, other electronic devicescan equally apply.

A first smartphone 412A and a second smartphone 412B are each registeredwith the collaboration system 26 in a manner similar to smartphones312A, 312B of FIG. 3.

Each smartphone 412A, 412B registered with the collaboration system 26can be presented with a search filter in the form of a status display413A, 413B, respectively. The status displays 413A, 413B can include alist of a variety of status options such as “I'm Hungry”, “I want to seea movie”, “I want coffee”, “I want to play a game,” and so on. As shownin FIG. 4, the user of the first smartphone 412A selects the “I'mHungry” status option at the smartphone display 413A. The user of thesecond smartphone 412B also selects the “I'm Hungry” status option atthe smartphone display 413B. The collaboration system 26 can process thestatus option selection data and update the profile data of eachsmartphone 412A, 412B accordingly.

The collaboration system 26 can generate a match result from this data.For example, the collaboration system 26 can generate a match result inresponse to a first determination that the first and second smartphones412A, 412B are in the same vicinity or predetermined distance from eachother, for example, within 1 mile of each other, and further in responseto a second determination that the users of the first and secondsmartphones 412A, 412B, respectively, share a same status, e.g., bothusers are hungry as indicated by the selections made at the displays413A, 414B, respectively.

The collaboration system 26 can include a search timer. Accordingly,when a user wants to filter users in the same vicinity, which share asame status, the search timer can be activated, and a predeterminedthreshold can be established, for example, a user-defined number ofminutes. Thus, if a match doesn't occur during this time, the system 26stops looking for matches.

A list 414A of friends and/or other registered mobile device users whoare potentially in the area and are also hungry can be displayed at thefirst smartphone 412A. This status, i.e. a hungry friend, is provided asprofile data of the other registered mobile devices to the collaborationsystem 26. Similarly, a list 414B of potentially hungry friends and/orother registered mobile device users potentially in the area can bedisplayed at the second smartphone 412B. The first list 414A includes anidentifier corresponding to the user of the second smartphone 412B, forexample, the second smartphone user's contact name “Sally.” The secondlist 414B includes an identifier corresponding to the first smartphone412A, for example, the first smartphone user's contact name “Elizabeth”or “Beth.”

The lists 414A, 414B can include identifiers, such as names, of othermobile device users identified in a match result, and can also includeother mobile devices who may or may not be at the same location as theuser and/or may or may not share a same status, but are neverthelessgenerated for the lists 414A, 414B, respectively, by the collaborationsystem 26 from mobile device profile data corresponding to the othermobile devices. For example, the name “Mark” on list 414A can begenerated by a random name generator at the collaboration system 26, oraccording to an algorithm that establishes that the user of the mobiledevice 412A has a contact list that includes several different contactshaving the name “Mark,” and therefore, the user is likely to believethat “Mark” is at the same location and/or shares a same status. Asanother example, the system 26 may record and store which identifiershave previously been displayed on a user's list. If an identifier is acandidate for display based on a match, but that identifier has recentlybeen displayed on that user's list, the system 26 may restrictdisplaying that identifier to that user to protect privacy. For example,if Bob works at a hospital and Jim has recently been included onmultiple identifier lists displayed to Bob then Bob may infer that Jimis actually in the vicinity routinely and may be receiving a treatment.If the system 26 restricts the display of Jim's identifier to a reducedor intermittent frequency, Jim's privacy may be enhanced, as he wouldnot be regularly visible to Bob at the hospital.

A mutual acceptance or opt-in can occur when the first smartphone userselects the second smartphone user's name, i.e., selects “Sally” on thefirst list 414A and the second smartphone user selects the firstsmartphone user's name, i.e., selects “Beth” on the second list 414B.Here, each smartphone 414A, 414B receives an alert, notification, or thelike that the other is actually in the local area and that each ishungry as indicated by the selection made at the status displays 413A,414B, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when each ofElizabeth and Sally selects each other from the lists 414A, 414B,respectively, a notification is displayed on Elizabeth's invite screen416A, indicating the Sally is interested in having lunch with Elizabeth.Similarly, a notification is displayed on Sally's invite screen 416Bthat Elizabeth is interested in having lunch with Sally.

After an opt-in match occurs, the interface that reveals the users'identify may display other information such as location-based ornon-location based marketing information. For example, each invitescreen 416A, 416B can display a coupon 417A, 417B offering a 20%discount to a local restaurant. Other features such as store directions,maps, pre-purchase screens, coupon redemption barcodes, etc. can bepresented at the invite screen 416A, 416B. In one embodiment, a singlecoupon is displayed. In another embodiment, a plurality of coupons maybe displayed to the users. They may be arranged in a list or a graphicalor interactive display that allows the users to browse through theavailable options such as flipping through a deck of cards. The couponsmay further be organized into groupings, such as coupons to coffeeshops, restaurants, etc. In one embodiment, users may have the abilityto vote or select coupons of interest and the system may then generateand display a tally or ranking to each user in order to communicate eachother's preferences for the purpose of selecting the most populardiscount or venue.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 of coupon offering inresponse to a location-based match, in accordance with an embodiment. Indescribing the method 500, reference can be made to elements of FIGS.1-4. Some or all of the method 500 can be performed at the computersystem 20 and/or one or more intermediary devices (not shown) at thenetwork 16 of FIG. 1, for example, governed by instructions that arestored in the memory 24 of the computer system 20 and executed by one ormore processors 22 of the collaboration system 26 of the computer system20 and/or one or more mobile devices 12. Some or all of the method 500can be performed at one or more mobile devices described herein, forexample, a processor and memory of a mobile device 12 of FIG. 1.

At block 502, marketing information is registered at the collaborationsystem 26. For example, a business may establish an account, post acoupon, and/or designate information associated with the coupon such astarget customer demographics, eligible locations, or eligible timeframesbefore expiration of the coupon, etc. The marketing information can bestored at the computer system 20, for example, at memory 24, or at aremote storage location in communication with the collaboration system26.

At block 504, registered marketing information is identified that may beof interest to mobile device users identified in a profile data matchresult, and selected in response to an “opt-in” as described herein. Forexample, the collaboration system 26 may assess from mobile deviceprofile data the current location and interests of each mobile deviceuser and identify that they both drink coffee. The system 26 canidentify registered marketing information, e.g., coupons posted bycoffee shops at or near the location, which may be of particularinterest to one or both users.

At block 506, the collaboration system 26 can transmit the marketinginformation identified at block 504 to the mobile devices identified inthe match result. One or both mobile device users can browse, select,rank or vote, and/or accept the marketing information, for example, byselecting a redeem button for a coupon displayed at a mobile device. Theuser selections can be transmitted to the collaboration system 26 andadded to the profile data corresponding to the mobile devices. Otherinformation can be displayed at the mobile devices, such as directionsto the coffee shop offering the coupon, or other marketing messagesincluding location-based and non-location based specials, coupons,advertisements, etc. and the ability for users to select and redeem themas part of a matching event. Information about users' historical couponselections or purchases may be stored and/or displayed at eachrespective user's device and/or in aggregate such as a display of user“points” earned to date at a business for previous patronage, aggregateduser ratings to businesses, and the like.

In another illustrative example of an application in accordance with anembodiment, a coupon can be provided for users in a location, such asresidents of a building, which offers discounts for a nearby restaurantif a predetermined number of people from the building arrive for dinnerthat night. The system 26 can display at the residents' mobile deviceslists of people who may currently be near the building and potentiallyopen to dinner. A mobile device user, i.e., a resident, can selectfriends displayed on the list who may be in the vicinity and willing togo to dinner. The system can identify if there is a set of K or moreusers all of which form a clique or other group (i.e., each of the usershas picked all the (K−1) users). Here, the system 26 can notify eachuser about this opportunity, and the K user may together redeem thecoupon. A commission or other incentive may be earned by a provider forcoordinating these people to visit the restaurant.

Related examples can include coordinating people in airports to share acab to their homes, coordinating among tourists who are visiting placesthey are unfamiliar with, coordinating among people who intend toperform an activity together. In all these cases, the coordination canbe privacy preserving, and supported by mutual opt-in procedures. Thisfeature thus permits value-sharing opportunities with meet-up venues andretailers. For example, by facilitating a grouping of strangers to sharea tour bus while on vacation, the tour bus operator may benefit bysecuring more customers, the customers may benefit by receiving a groupdiscount, and the described collaboration platform may benefit byreceiving a commission for organizing this group of tourists in areal-time manner.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 of establishing acommunication between mobile device users, in accordance with anembodiment. In describing the method 600, reference can be made toelements of FIG. 1. Some or all of the method 600 can be performed atthe computer system 20 and/or one or more intermediary devices (notshown) at the network 16 of FIG. 1, for example, governed byinstructions that are stored in a memory 24 of the computer system 20and executed by one or more processors of the collaboration system 26 ofthe computer system 20 and/or one or more mobile devices 12. Some or allof the method 600 can be performed at one or more mobile devicesdescribed herein, for example, a processor and memory of a mobile device12 of FIG. 1.

In addition to embodiments related to location-based scanning andmatching described herein, the collaboration system 26 can establishcommunications between two or more mobile devices 12 not located in thesame vicinity. Thus, match results can be generated based on profiledata, search criteria, and so on, without a requirement that mobiledevices be at the same or nearby locations. For example, a mobile deviceuser may have extra time on his hands but have no contacts orinteresting people, i.e., matches, who are in the same immediate area.The user in this example may wish to call a contact on the mobile device12 who is located in a different location, but is available for atelephone chat, IM exchange, game, sharing mobile content, or othercommunication. However, it is typically not known whether such contactsare available for a chat or communication at a particular point in time.The method 600 can therefore be implemented to ensure that otherregistered mobile device users are available and willing to participatein a communication prior to being identified. Although mobile devicecontacts are mentioned, the systems and methods described herein can beapplied to non-contacts or strangers registered with the collaborationsystem 26.

At block 602, mobile devices 12A and 12B of the mobile devices 12register with the collaboration system 26. The mobile devices 12A, 12Bcan register in a similar manner as that described with respect to block202 of FIG. 2. Repetitive details are therefore omitted for brevity.

At block 604, a status of each of the mobile devices 12A, 12B isdetermined. For example, a mobile device user can select at a mobiledevice 12 a displayed option regarding a status, for example,“available”, “bored,” or “game,” or the like. Status options can includeoptions that can be performed remotely, regardless of location, forexample, playing an online game, as distinguished from status optionsdescribed herein with reference to location-based embodiments, forexample, meeting for coffee. The display of status options can indicatethat the mobile device user is available for communicating with otherregistered mobile device users. By selecting a button or the like at amobile device 12, an instruction is passed to the collaboration server26 and the status selected by the user can be stored along with otherprofile data, for example, at the computer system 20.

At block 606, a profile data match is determined between two or moreregistered mobile devices 12 in response to the registered mobiledevices 12A, 12B of block 604 selecting the same displayed statusoption. The collaboration system 26 can compare the selected statusdata, and/or other profile data corresponding to the mobile devices 12A,12B and generate a match result based on the selected status optiondetermined to be common to both mobile devices 12A, 12B, and/or otherprofile data such as user search criteria, interests, location, sharedcontacts, and so on. Other details of a profile data match can besimilar to those described above with respect to FIG. 2. Therefore,repetitive details are omitted for brevity.

At block 608, one or more mobile devices 12 are identified for displayat each mobile device 12A, 12B. The first mobile device 12A can bepresented with a list of user profiles, each providing an identifierand/or other details regarding registered mobile device users who mayhave the same status as the first mobile device 12A at a particularmoment, for example, other users who are bored, and so on. A displayedlist may include actual contacts, secondary contacts, or any otherusers, real or created by the collaboration system 26, who are or aren'tactually available to communicate. One of the identifiers on thepresented list refers to the user of the mobile device 12B, which isdetermined from the profile data match result. One or more identifierson the presented list may actually not have the same status. Instead,these identifiers are of people who have some probability of having thesame status or could be believable by the user of the first mobiledevice 12A to have the same status. The list can include random peoplefrom the mobile device user's contact list or friend network, or caninclude registered users identified from a 2-hop network, or strangersfrom an H-hop network, where H>2. Each list item, including randomlychosen people, can be identified on the list as having a similar status.If multiple mobile device users have a same status as the first mobiledevice 12A, and multiple mutual matches are possible, for example,several users are identified from the profile data match result, thenthe system 26 may display some or all of the identified users, which maybe limited to maximum number of users displayed, in accordance with anembodiment.

A second set of mobile devices are displayed at the second mobile device12B as possibly having the same status in a similar manner as the listdescribed with reference to the first mobile device 12A. Accordingly,one of the candidate users is the user of the mobile device 12A, whichis likewise determined from the profile data match result.

The user at the first mobile device 12A and the user at the secondmobile device 12B each can select one or more names or other identifierson the presented list corresponding to a mobile device user with whomthe user would like to communicate, in a manner similar to otherapproaches described herein.

Each mobile device user 12A, 12B has the option of selecting with whomthey may be open to communicating at that time. Each selection made bythe users of the first and second mobile devices 12A, 12B, respectively,can be stored at a table or the like at the memory 24 of the computersystem 20. The collaboration system 26 can compare the selections madeby the mobile device users to identify a mutual selection.

Accordingly, at decision diamond 610, a determination is made whetherthe mobile devices 12A, 12B select each other. Each user's selection istransmitted from their mobile device 12A, 12B to the collaborationsystem 26 and stored at a table or other format associated with theuser's account. If the users mutually select each other, then the method600 proceeds to block 612, where each mobile device user 12A, 12B ismade aware of each other's identity. Here, the collaboration system 26may transmit a message or signal to either or both mobile devices 12A,12B informing them of each other's status, profile attributes, or otherinformation. In other words, the users are alerted to the fact theyshare the same status via a message sent to their respective devices12A, 12B only if each user mutually selects the other's profile. Userswould then have the ability of pressing a button (e.g., call Bob now) toinitiate a telephone call, play a game, send an instant message, sharecontent, text message, or otherwise participate in a mode ofcommunication well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art.Otherwise, the method 600 proceeds to block 614, where the identity ofthe users of the mobile devices 12A, 12B are not revealed to each otherand each user may as example, receive a message indicating that theywere not able to be connected with other user. Thus, instead of simplynotifying one or both mobile devices 12A, 12B that they share the samestatus, the identities and statuses of the mobile device users are onlyrevealed to each other after each of the alert recipients select theother of the recipients among a list of candidate users presented toeach other.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the establishment of a communicationbetween two mobile devices 712A, 712B, at different locations, inaccordance with an embodiment. In describing FIG. 7, reference is madeat least to elements of FIGS. 1 and 6.

Mobile devices, for example, smartphone 712A and a second smartphone712B, each register with the collaboration system 26 via a network 16.The user of the first smartphone 712A may be interested in establishinga chat, text session, or other communication with another availableelectronic device user, for example, a user at the smartphone 712B. Theuser of the second smartphone 712B is one of many different registeredusers with whom the user of the first smartphone 712A may wish to engagein a chat or other communication.

The collaboration system 26 can present to the first smartphone 712Astatus display 713A, 713B that includes a user-selectable set of statusoptions providing the user's current status, for example, “I'mavailable” or “I'm bored.” The users do not need to be at the samevicinity, but can be instead at remote locations but are each interestedin the same activity. As shown in FIG. 7, the user of the firstsmartphone 712A selects the “Play Game” status option at the smartphonedisplay 713B. The user of the second smartphone 712B also selects the“Play Game” status option at the smartphone display 713B. Thecollaboration system 26 can receive the status option selection data andupdate the profile data of each smartphone 712A, 712B accordingly.

In selecting one of the status options, the collaboration system 26 ismade aware that the user is available for communication with contacts orother users registered with the collaboration system 26. Thecollaboration system 26 can also send a set of options 713B to thesecond smartphone 712B, or to other mobile devices registered with thecollaboration system 26.

The collaboration system 26 can generate a match result from this data.For example, the collaboration system 26 can generate a match result inresponse to a determination that the users of the first and secondsmartphones 712A, 712B, respectively, share a same status, e.g., bothusers are bored as indicated by the selections made at the statusdisplays 713A, 713B, respectively. The match result can include a list714A of mobile device users that is displayed at the first smartphone712A and a list 714B of mobile device users that is displayed at thesecond smartphone 712B. The first list 714A includes an identifiercorresponding to the user of the second smartphone 712B, for example,the second smartphone user's contact name “Sally.” The second list 714Bincludes an identifier corresponding to the first smartphone 712A, forexample, the first smartphone user's contact name “Beth.”

The lists 714A, 714B can include other mobile device identified in amatch result, and can also include other mobile devices who may or maynot be at the same location as the user and/or may or may not share asame status, but are nevertheless deemed to be “believable” to the user.In establishing a “believable” mobile device user for the list, thecollaboration system 26 may employ one or more techniques, for example,among those described herein, to selectively choose which profiles aredisplayed on the mobile devices 712A, 712B so as to provide a level of‘believability’ with respect to the shared status of a potential user ona list.

Each user may have the ability to select none, one, or a plurality ofusers from their list indicating who they would be open to communicatingwith at that particular moment. The system may allow them to select allor a subset of the users from the list in order to add additionaluncertainty to the opt-in process. For example, if a mobile device 12 isdisplayed with five users for a user to select from, the user may belimited to selecting only four users. That way, if a mutual opt-in doesnot occur, either user may be able to assume it was the user notselected who was actually the user with a similar status. In thismanner, a user may avoid a sense of rejection if they were to be able toselect all of the users on their display but not receive a connection.

An “opt-in” can occur when the first smartphone user selects the secondsmartphone user's name, i.e., selects “Sally” on the first list 714A andthe second smartphone user selects the first smartphone user's name,i.e., selects “Beth” on the second list 714B. Here, each smartphone714A, 714B receives an alert, notification, or the like that the otheris bored as indicated by the selection made at the status displays 713A,714B, respectively. For example, when Beth and Sally select each otherfrom the lists 714A, 714B, respectively, a notification is displayed atBeth's invite screen 716A indicating that Sally is interested in playingan online game, chatting, or otherwise communicating with Beth.Similarly, a notification is displayed at Sally's invite screen 716Bthat Beth is interested in playing an online game, chatting, orotherwise participating in a communication.

If a mutual selection occurs, i.e., if mobile device users 712A, 712Bselect each other from their respective lists, then the collaborationsystem 26 can generate a notification for each mobile device 712A, 712B.Each user can be presented with one or more communication options, forexample, “Talk”, “SMS”, “Play a Game,” etc., and can select an option,for example, initiating a telephone call, each invite screen 716A, 716Bcan display marketing-related information as described herein, forexample, a coupon offered to each user for playing an online game.

As described above, mobile device users can elect whether they wouldlike to be revealed to other users as well as how much information theywish to reveal, which may be released in a “Tiered” manner. In doing so,a user of a first mobile device identified in a match may activate (orpre-activate) certain security settings on the mobile device to controlwhat information about them is displayed on the second user's device.For example, a user of a first mobile device included in a list mayinitially allow only a limited amount of information about them todisplay on the second user's device, such as the first user's screenname, or certain basic profile features. During a communicationestablished after a match has been made between the first and secondmobile devices, that is, perhaps initially ‘blinded’, each user maychoose to unhide certain information about themselves and either revealit or allow the other user to access the additional information. Thismay be performed in a variety of additive sequences. For example, if thefirst mobile device user wishes to engage with another matched user, forexample, a third mobile device, the first mobile device user may firstdesire to send the third mobile device an anonymous instant message orother communication, without revealing the first user's full identity tothe third user. After exchanging instant messages, if either the firstuser or the third user wishes to reveal information, they may alter thesecurity settings to reveal some or all of their information (e.g.,“Tiers”), e.g., reveal their screen name, or picture, their entireprofile, or a link to their other social networking profile.

In another embodiment, prior to being matched and establishingcommunication with another user, a user can browse other users currentlyon the system and/or even communicate with them proactively. Forexample, if no alerts have been received during a period of time, a usermay wish to casually and proactively browse their vicinity for users orbrowse for users with a shared status (e.g., “bored”). However, asearlier discussed, location and/or status privacy can be a concern.Here, the collaboration system 26 may employ a “blinded” approach tokeep users anonymous while still allowing them to interact with eachother prior to a match and establishing a communication. For example,nearby users on the network 16 may be displayed on a map on a user'sdisplay with only limited or scrambled information about them, forexample, with only a generic icon, or actual locations may beintentionally offset on the user's map display, etc. For example, hungryusers within the vicinity of a user may be displayed as “Hungry User”icons on the user's display and may appear a few blocks away from wherethey actually are. Other select but relatively anonymous attributes maybe further displayed or available for viewing, such as “ProfessionalBaseball player”, etc. The attributes may be chosen by the mobile deviceusers, or chosen dynamically by the system and tailored to the user'spreference. For example, if a user attended Duke University, other usersin the vicinity that also studied at Duke University may be tagged, orcategorized, as “Duke Alumni” on that user's display, noting that otherattributes about that user may be displayed on other users' displaysbased on their profiles. To establish a communication in accordance withan embodiment, a mobile device user can notify another user that he orshe is interested in chatting or the like. The user may select a buttonor hyperlink at the mobile device display and/or enter an identifier ofthe other user. Or, the user may highlight or select a user on their mapor display. If security settings allow for it, certain informationstored in the other user's table may be transferred over the network anddisplayed on the user's mobile device. In one embodiment, this requesttriggers a list on each user's mobile device 12 from which they wouldeach choose who they would like to meet, chat, play a game with, etc.right now, for example, according to one or more methods describedherein. If the users don't choose each other, i.e., no opt-in, they arenot connected and no further information is revealed. In anotherembodiment, if each user is comfortable enough with each other, they mayinstead choose to skip the list method (i.e., the opt-in step) andsimply allow each of their identities to be instantly revealed, forexample, either fully or in a tiered manner as described herein.

A user may highlight or select a user on their map or other displaypresented on the mobile device or choose them from a stored contactlist, etc. If security settings are available, and allow for it, certaininformation stored in the other user's table may be transferred over thenetwork 16 and displayed on the mobile device. The user may then have anoption of selecting an “Instant Message” button. If selected, a chatwindow would open, allowing the user to enter content. Upon hitting asend or transmit button at the mobile device, the message is sent to theappropriate server (not shown) over the network 16. The message would berouted to the account of the other user, and the message would betransmitted over the network 16 to that user and displayed on theirdevice or converted into a signal or alert. This exchange may beperformed anonymously until each user decides to opt-in through anembodiment described herein. Messages may be stored in tables associatedwith each mobile device user and accessed at later times.

Another feature may allow the exchange of email messages or the like,which can allow one user to send an e-mail to another user, either usingan e-mail address or by sending to the user screen name or otheridentifier and relying on the system to anonymously route the message tothe e-mail address on record in the user's account. This allows one userto e-mail the other without knowing their actual e-mail address and/orthe other user's actual identity. To perform this function, a user mayhighlight or select a user on their map or display or choose them from astored contact list, etc. If security settings allow for it, certaininformation stored in the other user's table may be transferred over thenetwork and displayed on the user's device. The user may then have anoption of selecting an “Email” button. If selected, a text window canopen, allowing the user to enter data content such as text, images,video, and so on. Upon hitting a send or transmit button at the mobiledevice, the message is output to the appropriate server over the network16. The message can be routed to the account of the other user at thecollaboration system 26. The message can be transmitted over the network16 to that user and displayed on their mobile device or converted into asignal or alert.

Another feature may allow an exchange of voice-related data, wherebymobile device users can speak with each other. The system may allow oneuser to call the other, either using their phone numbers, or by using aWeb-based method such as Voice-over-IP (VoIP) which may allow for mobiledevice users to chat without having to reveal their phone numbers. Forexample, after a mutual opt-in event and subsequent communication isestablished, two users may be able to conduct a voice call through thesystem blindly without having to reveal their actual phone numbers.

In another embodiment, mobile device users can create and manage contactlists that may include a variety of features, including, but not limitedto, adding or deleting a contact, adding another user to their contactlist while viewing them on a device display during or after acommunication session, and/or accepting or denying a request to be addedto another user's contact list.

For example, if a user is exchanging instant messages with another userand wishes to add them to a contact list, the user may have the optionof selecting a button such as “Add to Contact List”. When selected, theuser's identifier and the desired contacts identifier are transmitted bythe system over the network from the user to the desired contact. Amessage or indicator may then be displayed alerting them to the otheruser's request. If the other user approves the request, the other usermay select a button such as “Accept”, which transmits an instructionover the network 16 to server, for example, at the collaboration system26, to associate the user's identifier with the user, and store theinformation on a table. When the user views the user's contact list,this contact, and any others stored on the table, can be transmittedover the network 16 and displayed in various ways, such as in a list ofcontact names.

In addition to storing the other user's contact ID in the table,additional information may also be stored in the table and related tothe contact. For example, with respect to GeoTags or the like, a usermay wish to store the location or coordinates of the interaction so thatthe parties to the interaction can remember where they met each other,e.g., drop a pin that marks where they crossed paths. Upon selectingthis feature, for example, at the user's mobile device, the coordinatesof the interaction may be stored on a table associated with this contactin the user's account. In another embodiment, a user may wish to captureand/or retrieve a contact's photo or other information about the contactto include it in their saved contact information. Upon selecting thisfeature, the data may be stored on a table associated with this contactin the user's account. A user can download other data such as electronicfiles related to other registered mobile device users, contact lists,and so on.

A user may wish to enter any other text or information at a mobiledevice about the contact, such as conversation notes, reminders, etc.Upon selecting this feature, the data may be stored on a tableassociated with this contact in the user's account, for example, at thecollaboration system 26, or a server or other storage device incommunication with the collaboration system 26. A business-relatedmobile device user may wish to save users in a contact list to serve asa customer list, and has a similar ability as other mobile device usersreferred to herein to retrieve and/or store data regarding otherregistered users. For example, business contact-related information canbe stored in a table on the collaboration system 26, or a server orother storage device in communication with the collaboration system 26.

In other embodiments, a mobile device user may desire another user toassist in locating or connecting with other users that may be mutuallyinterested in connecting with the mobile device user. In other words, amobile device can serve as a proxy for another mobile device. Forexample, if a first user is interested in renting out an apartment, buta second user they have just met on the street is not a good fit, thefirst and second users may mutually agree that the second user will helpthe first user advertise the apartment. Instead of the first userhanding them a flyer or other information, the first user may transitionthe search request to the second user electronically, e.g., provide thesecond user with a copy of the information for the second user to‘carry’ with him or her. This information may be added to the seconduser's profile as temporary or appendix content. As the second user'smobile device roams, the mobile device incorporates the first user'ssearch information into the second device's scanning activity. If thesecond user crosses paths with a third user that is searching for anapartment and meets the search criteria of the first user, the seconduser and the third user will each be alerted in accordance withembodiments referred to herein. In addition, the first user, even thoughno longer in the vicinity, may also be alerted, whereby either thesecond user or the first user remotely would have the opportunity toengage in a communication with the third user about the apartment. Forexample, the first user could send an IM to the third user. Accordingly,a notification can occur between the first and third user, the secondand third user, and/or all three users. A notification can be generatedeven though a user is not physically present.

In an embodiment, a mobile device 12 is constructed and arranged to actas a roaming and automatic “referral” to other users or businesses, andgives the user the ability to easily acquire, carry and ‘hand off’information about that user to other users with whom they may pass by orinteract with. A reward system such as a finder's fee could beincorporated into the collaboration system 26. Thus, in the previousexample when the second user locates and passes off the third user, thefirst user may have an option of rewarding them in some fashion. Such afunction may include, but not limited to, the ability for the first userto transmit funds, an electronic gift certificate, or the like securedthrough this system, etc. to the second user, for example, to thank thesecond user for the referral.

Through this feature, mobile device users may expand their geospatialsearch coverage to that of all users who have agreed to serve as scoutsor referrals for them. This could greatly expand the search and increasethe chances of finding for whom or for what they are searching. Forexample, if a business would like to have a user advertise for them,they may provide them with content and thus as they roam, they act likea “virtual sandwich board”, advertising that businesses' products orservices. A reward could thus serve as a sales commission if the seconduser hands off the information to other users that may or may notultimately conduct in a business transaction with the business. In asimilar manner, contacts may be handed-off from one user to anotheruser, thus serving as virtual business cards being passed around. Thisinformation may be initially blinded to limit personal information beinghanded off, and only when a user authorizes a new user to have theirfull contact information would that user's profile and content be fullyaccessible. For example, first and second mobile device users arecontacts, and second mobile device user meets a new user, i.e., a thirdmobile device user, and wishes to contact the first user. The seconduser can perform a contact handoff, giving the third user enoughinformation about the first user to contact the first user. Only afterthe first user feels comfortable about the third user and permits thethird user to add the first user as a contact does the third user haveadditional or full information about the first user. In this example,the third and first user may each be presented a list of users asdescribed herein and only if each selects the other, i.e., mutuallyopts-in, will a communication be established.

Another example operation of this function is as follows. After firstand second registered mobile device users have been alerted of eachother, and after they have initiated a connection, they may agree thatthe second user can assist the first user in locating other mobiledevice users that meet certain criteria that the first user is seeking.The first user may hand off information relating to the search by firstselecting the second user on the mobile device display and selecting anoption such as “Hand-Off a Search”. The first user may then select theinformation in the first mobile device profile or account the first userwishes to hand off. This is accomplished by using the first user mobiledevice to access the collaboration server 26 over the network 16.Information selected is stored in a table and made available fortransmission over the network. After submitting the request, theselected information is then transferred via the collaboration system 26to the second user's profile or account and is stored in an associatedtable. The first user may instead use a near-field format wirelesssignal such as Bluetooth to transfer the content over to the seconduser, thus circumventing the need to access the network servers. Thissearch information is then appended to or included in the scanningfunction performed by the network for the second user. If a third partyuser passes in the vicinity of the second user, an alert is performedinforming them, and perhaps additionally the first user, about the thirdparty and that a criteria match has occurred. The first user and/or thesecond user may contact the third user using the aforementionedmessaging tools. Additionally, the third user may be alerted and use thecommunication tools to contact ether the first or second user. If thefirst user wishes to reward the second user for the referral, they mayhave an option of sending them a finder's fee or other financialpayment.

The collaboration system 26 can include a range of user-controlledand/or automatic security features. For example, the collaborationsystem 26 can permit mobile device users to adjust visibility settingsto control whether they are visible to other users. This may include arange of features including showing all profile information, showingpartial profile information, showing no profile information and only ageneric marker on a map, or hiding their presence altogether so thateven their location is not shown on certain or all user's displays.

In an embodiment, mobile device users can create and use screen names toconceal their real names. When registering, the user enters a desiredscreen name and this is stored in a table on the server. Users may berequired to use unique screen names. The system may have a function thathelps the user generate a screen name (e.g., a random screen namegenerator). As the user engages with other users, for example,communicates with a user over instant messaging, etc. prior to an opt-inconnection described herein, this screen name is used by the system torepresent the identity of the user in order to preserve anonymity. Anyinformation or data associated with this user would be stored in tablesthat are cross-referenced to this unique identifier.

In an embodiment, the systems and methods include a “blind messaging”feature. As users initially interact on the system, such as using theInstant Messaging feature, their screen name is used to protect theiridentity. During a messaging exchange, the server accesses the usersprofile and returns only their screen name. Any message or other dataexchanged are stored in a table on the computer system 20 or otherstorage device and is associated with this screen name that then isrelated to the user's account.

In an embodiment, the collaboration system 26 may allow registeredmobile device users 12 to modify or control how they are displayed, orwhat is displayed about them, on displays of other mobile device users12 prior to and/or even after establishing a connection to furtherprotect their privacy and safety. For example, an individual sitting inan airport may want the system 26 to detect who is in range of theuser's mobile device 12, and that meets a set of predetermined searchcriteria to potentially engage with the individual, e.g., instantmessage or meet for a coffee. However, the individual may initially notwant the other mobile device user to be able to physically locate theindividual's precise location with the use of a displayed map or relatedinformation on the other user's mobile device 12. Thus, the system may“scramble” the actual location of the user, for example, display a userwho is actually at Coordinate A as being located at Coordinate B atanother user's display. Additionally, the user may only allow certainnon-identifying information about them to be initially displayed at theother user's device, such as an icon (e.g., a sports team logo), or apicture (e.g., a sunset), or a status indicator (e.g., a “I WantCoffee”) This would allow the users to initially communicate, forexample, blindly chat, and only after a 2 party opt-in method isperformed in accordance with an embodiment or if the first user iscomfortable meeting the other user in person, may the individual eitherturn off a location scrambling feature at the individual's mobile phoneor simply tell the other mobile device user where the individual islocated. Through a web interface, desktop, or mobile device applicationor other network interface, the registered mobile device user can loginto an account and through the mobile device user interface select thedesired settings available. The settings can saved at a table on thecomputer system 20 or other storage device associated with theiraccount. The collaboration system 26 can apply well-known techniques toidentify users that meet each other's criteria. Prior to returning theactual location information for display, however, the system 26 mayapply a technique to modify the perceived or viewed location that isdisplayed on the display of the user's mobile device 12.

In an embodiment, mobile device users may be able to control thevisibility and/or access to outside links of information. For example,during a blind chat or during a 2 party opt-in method performed inaccordance with an embodiment, they may initially only show visibilityof links to other social network sites to those on their contact list,or only reveal it if they feel comfortable with another user during thecourse of an exchange. Based on their preference settings, the system 26can selectively route and display the user information to other mobiledevices 12 on the network 16.

The collaboration system 26 may use a variety of authentication methodsfor various purposes, such as controlling the availability of userinformation based certain criteria. For example, a mobile device usercan prevent users above or below a predetermined age from ever beingmatched, occurring in a match list, and/or viewing the location of themobile device user on a display. This feature would thus allow a younguser to control the age of those that can see them, communicate withthem, locate them, or use any other feature on the system, e.g., a younguser could limit any user over 18 years old from seeing any or all oftheir information.

In an embodiment, a mobile device user can lock the type or amount ofinformation being displayed on the network 16 that would otherwise beavailable for access. For example, a user may have the option of a“Quick Lock” button to immediately stop the display of the user'spersonal information on other mobile device displays. Upon selectingthis feature, the collaboration system 26 can refrain from sending thatuser's data when transmitting data to be made visible on another user'smobile device display. Additionally, it may instruct the system to sendfalse information, such as incorrect location coordinates or falseprofile information to throw the other user off.

In an embodiment, the collaboration system 26 can include multipleversions, each tailored to the needs of different user populations. Forexample, the collaboration system 26 can include a ‘child’ version ofthe system that restricts the ages of those users on the network 16, butcan allow for adults or parents to create, manage, and have access toall of their information either through similar interfaces or interfacesand displays unique to the parent or guardian. The system may requireage checks or other means of using third-party data of systems to verifyand control the ages of users on the network. The collaboration systemmay have versions tailored to social networking, professionalnetworking, dating, or the like.

In an embodiment, the collaboration system 26 can analyze if there areany mutual connections between two users and perhaps even how manydegrees of separation they may have. For example, if two users are neareach other that share a common contact, the system 26 may recognize thiscommonality and notify them of their extended relationship through theirmutual friend. The system may use a variety of methods to search forthese connections, such as scanning the system's database or usingoutside data sources such as other social or professional networkingsites. The system may use other methods to identify any connections theymay have, including, but not limited to using their photos or leveragingnetwork based facial recognition software to search for any connectionsthey may have. In these cases, the server may use the data associatedwith two users to perform search algorithms that may or may not usethird-party databases, websites, or other data.

In an embodiment, the collaboration system 26 may allow for theconduction of transactions among, between, or on behalf of users. Thesemay include financial or non-financial exchanges of value including, butnot limited to the below example and functions. For example, two usersmay be alerted to the presence of each other and informed that one useris selling extra tickets they have to an event. The second user, who hasadvertised their interest in purchasing tickets using a headline or intheir profile, and after a multi-party opt-in method is performed inaccordance with an embodiment resulting in a communication, may elect toconduct a transaction with that user in which the first user exchangesthe tickets for something of value from the second user. Through theuser's interface, the second user can instruct the system 26, or afinancial system in communication with the system 26, to transfer fundsto the account of the first user. This exchange may be instant or use anescrow feature to hold funds until a mutually acceptable time such aswhen the user successfully uses the tickets and is inside the venue,knowing the tickets are authentic. The exchange may occur internally tothe system and involved in moving internal funds, i.e., pre-depositedfunds transferred into the second user's account by electronic transferor credit card, or by transferring a payment from external financialinstitutions.

In an embodiment, the collaboration system 26 communicates with acomputer of a third-party financial institution or the like to permitmobile device users to perform financial transactions, e.g., to localretailers, for event and movie ticket dealers. As a non-limitingexample, after a 2 party opt-in method is performed in accordance withan embodiment, the two parties satisfying a match can each view the chatwindow and receive an electronic coupon displayed at the users' mobiledevices 12. Each party can buy movie tickets to a local theatre usingthe coupon and/or using a link to a third-party online ticket seller.

A registered mobile device 12 can connect to a server, which can includethe collaboration system 26, and which can be maintained by a serviceprovider and can pass the server information about the user that mayinclude, but not be limited to: time of day, date, user's name or uniqueidentifier, user's geographic coordinates, user's profile information,and other information such as user's usage history, device type orsoftware version, or any other information about the user. This data canbe stored in a table on a network server, along with other datadescribed herein. In establishing a communication between registeredmobile devices that can include a financial transaction, one or bothmobile device users may instruct the system 26 and/or other computerservers participating in the financial transaction, about the parametersof a desired transaction, including but not limited to the items theyintend to exchange, the identify of each user, the value of exchange,whether or not they wish to use an escrow feature, payment method, etc.The data may be manually entered or entered in another fashion such asvia voice recognition, with the use of peripherals, attachments or inputdevices, e.g., optical scanners, radio tag scanners, etc. The dataassociated with the transaction is stored in a table on the server, andthe data are related to each user's account. If the user wishes to payfor the item with their banking information stored in a user account,the funds would be transferred to the other user's account. This may beperformed by connecting to third-party banks or other financialinstitutions, or it may be performed within the system if funds or valuehave been pre-deposited and the user's have a balance of value availablefor use on the system and to be transferred to the other users account.The user interface of either user's mobile device or other user computersuch as a desktop computer connected to the network 16 can include anyof the currently available online banking or electronic funds transferfunctions or additional functions and features to facilitate atransaction between users on the system.

As described herein, user information can be stored in a table(s) in thecomputer system 20, or a server or other computer platform incommunication with the computer system 20. User data may include, butnot be limited to: user profile and account information, searchcriteria/preferences to locate other users or points of interest, userlocation data or movement patterns, patterns of the connections among orbetween users and extended contact networks or social network graphs,user usage statistics, user transaction data, time and date information,usage data regarding the user or any other information about the user ortheir use of the system 26. The data from multiple users may becompiled, manually or automatically analyzed and sorted and a variety ofwritten or graphic-based reports and outputs may be generated that mayinclude, but not be limited to: maps that show time-based patterns ofactivity by users, heat maps that show time, frequency, or other cuts ofdata in an intensity map to facilitate interpretation, “user maps” thatmap users that share similar profiles or other characteristics,statistical summaries of various network, user, or other system data.

The collaboration system 26 may allow registered commercial users orbusinesses, e.g., retailers, to distribute content such as detailsregarding products or services to other mobile devices, in a real-timeand targeted manner, based on any user data such as users' profile data,their preference data, their search data, their location data, etc. Forexample, a retailer that has access to user data on a real-time basismay be alerted that a user that meets a desired profile is going to walkor drive by their store. The retailer, either manually or through anautomated function, may issue the user an electronic coupon or alert theuser of a sale via a message, e.g., text, e-mail, instant message, etc.to entice them to enter the store. The system 26 may be automated, i.e.,pre-programmed, or managed in real-time by the retailer. For example,the retailer may have an account on the system and be able to enterinformation about users to whom it desires to market its products. Asthe system 26 monitors the movement patterns of mobile devices 12 on thenetwork 16, if there is a match the system 26 will automaticallytransmit the marketing materials to that user. Additionally, theretailer may have an interface such as a mobile device or computer thatthey use to more manually manage the marketing in a real time manner.For example, users may be able to access and monitor the user data realtime, e.g., view users on a map or display, and manually select users towhom to send marketing materials. They could even use this real timedata to walk out their store and personally engage with the user to getthem to visit their business. For example, if a user provides a picturethat is displayed publicly in his profile, then the retailer may use amobile device 12 that displays the user picture and location to help theretailer to identify the user via his photo among the crowd of shoppers.

Through a web interface, desktop or mobile device application or othernetwork interface, a commercial user such as a retailer can pre-registerwith a service provider to create an account profile and will providethe service provider with various data, content and/or uploads. Theretailer may create marketing materials including text, graphics, orother marketing content in an offline fashion and then “upload” thiscontent to their profile area on the server for subsequent managementincluding but not limited to storing, editing and distribution. Thecontent is stored at the collaboration system 26, or a storage device incommunication with the system 26 in a table associated with theregistered retailer profile. Alternatively, the retailer may usefunctionality included on the computer system 20, or a marketing serveror the like in communication with the computer system 20, to create andmanage their marketing content. This may include, but not be limited totext and graphic editing functionality.

A retailer may then distribute the marketing content to both registeredand non-registered mobile devices. Non-registered users' geospatial datamay be acquired through other means and third-party services. Marketingcontent may be distributed in a variety of manners including, but notlimited to the following: 1. Banner Advertising: A retailer may desireto display the marketing content to select or all users, at any time andeither on their mobile device or online as in their profile or accountareas. 2. Text Message to Phone: The Retailer may desire to distributethe marketing content to select or all users (at anytime and either on amobile device or online as in their profile or account areas). This maybe accomplished a number of ways including, but not limited todistributing a text message that is uploaded to the server and thendistributed to one or more registered mobile devices 12 directly via theserver or via third-party network affiliate(s) to which the Customersmobile devices are in communication. 3. Instant Message: A retailer maydesire to distribute the marketing content to select or all users, forexample, at anytime and either on their mobile device or online as intheir profile or account areas. This may be accomplished a number ofways including, but not limited to distributing an instant message thatis uploaded to the server and then distributed to the user(s) directlyvia the server or via any third-party network affiliate(s) (such asTwitter″, AOL Instant Messenger″, Yahoo Instant Messenger″, Facebook™,etc.) to which the user's mobile devices, computers or other devices areconnected. 4. E-mail Message: The retailer may desire to distribute themarketing content to select or all users, for example, anytime andeither on their mobile device or online as in their profile or accountareas. This may be accomplished a number of ways including, but notlimited to distributing an e-mail message that is uploaded to the serverand then distributed to the users directly via a server or viathird-party network affiliate(s) (such as Yahoo™, Google™, etc.) towhich the user's mobile devices, computers or other devices to whichthey have access are connected.

A commercial mobile device user may use other forms of creating andtransmitting electronic data containing marketing content to usersincluding, but not limited to: Bluetooth™ transmission to a mobiledevice that is within the vicinity of the commercial user. This mayinclude both registered and unregistered users. Any other method oftransmitting marketing content to a user for the purposes of trying toengage in a transaction between the commercial user and the other users.The retailer may transmit these marketing data real-time, or may alsouse stored user data on the server and select certain users to send datato at a later time. For example, they may be able to access a report ordatabase that lists all the users of certain criteria that passed neartheir store, a competitor's store, or any other location of interest ata time of interest, and then target them with marketing materials orinformation, e.g., send an e-mail.

The collaboration system 26 may include any other function or featurethat would allow or improve the ability for a user to detect, gaininformation about, communicate with, or otherwise engage with anotheruser or location or feature or enhance their ability to manage theiraccount, profile, user settings or enhance the use of the system 26. Inaddition to the functions and features previously described, the systemmay offer additional functions and features including, but not limitedto: a. an ability to import content from other Websites, serverlocations, etc., b. language translators to convert content orcommunications from one language to another to facilitate interactionbetween two users, c. an ability to search the system for anythingincluding people, objects, locations, etc., an ability for a user toview information about other users who have viewed information aboutthat user (e.g., learn who has been looking at their profileinformation, etc.), e.g., an ability to perform a variety of functionsrelated to E-mail including but not limited to sending offline messages,forwarding messages, replying to messages, linking to external e-mailaccounts, etc., f personality quizzes, tests, and other personalityassessments to increase accuracy of the matching algorithms or increasethe probability that two users made aware of each other would have ahigher probability of a positive interaction, g. an ability to providefeedback, comments, ratings etc. about other users, businesses, or anyother feature indexed on the network. This may provide a number ofutilities including warning users of a user that possesses negativetraits, alerting or informing users of the quality of product or serviceat a business, etc. Instead of providing real-time alerts to a user, thesystem may provide a feature that allows the detection data to be savedas the user roams, and then provide the ability for the user to viewsummaries or other views that show detection data in some aggregated,historical, or other form. For example, a user may not wish to benotified real-time of the presence of every restaurant the user passes,or every other user, however, they may wish to have the system savethese data to download or view a map of select content that meetscertain criteria, for example, display a map of all the Chineserestaurants they have passed by in the past 7 days that have met theirsearch or detection criteria. Users may have the ability to provideratings or feedback about other users.

The collaboration system 26 can produce a variety of views including,but not limited to, dynamic maps that show the location (e.g., icons) ofa user, locations of other users, and any other area feature in realtime. Also, various user interfaces and displays may be used tofacilitate the operation of functions and features, such as user-to-usercommunications (e.g. chat windows). Data from the system is manuallyrequested or automatically pushed to the user's mobile device via thenetwork or other method. Map views may be rendered that show thelocation of the user and other information including, but not limitedto, icons that represent the location of other users or area features.

Different screen views may be created and/or maps may be adjusted in avariety of manners, such as adjusting scale, icons, content, layers,etc. Preference settings like these may be saved and stored on theserver table and associated with the user's account. Content on maps mayinclude, but not be limited to: a. A user's location may be representedby a blinking dot, their picture, a customizable icon, etc. b. Otherusers or features (some or all depending on various users' displaysettings and security settings) may also be shown as blinking dots,icons, by a picture, etc. c. users or features that meet the user'sdesired search criteria may be differentiated in some way on the user'sdisplay. For example, icons may be color coded (green=another user witha lot in common or a feature or status, e.g. hungry, that highly matchestheir search criteria), yellow=another user with some things in commonor a feature that partially meets their search criteria, red=not much incommon or a feature that does not generally meet their search criteria).

A user may select and view information about other users or features onthe display through a variety of methods. For example, they may selectanother user or highlight their icon to display information about thatuser or feature. For example, if a first user selects the icon for asecond user nearby, a request would be transmitted to the server throughthe network and information about the second user would be transmittedto the first user's mobile device and displayed. A window or text boxmay appear with basic information such as the second user's “nametag” or“headline”, “greeting” “banner, screen name, and/or any otherinformation that the second user has designated to be publicly viewed orviewable to the profile of the first user prior to a 2 party opt-inmethod is performed in accordance with an embodiment resulting in acommunication. The amount of information displayed about the second usermay be sequentially increased as the second user chooses to, i.e.,following a certain increased level of comfort about the first userafter instant messaging and getting to know each other and/or after a 2party opt-in method is performed in accordance with an embodimentresulting in a communication, the second user may reveal additionalinformation they wish to share about themselves. This increase ininformation may be granted as a link imbedded in their text messages, orthe second user may have the ability to selectively increase theirinformation visible to the first user with buttons or options on theirdisplay. For example, they may be able to select a particular user ontheir display or in their contact list and establish custom displaysettings for only that user, i.e., provide them with more information.

As described herein, various techniques, methods, algorithms, or thelike can be applied to establish a match between mobile device users,which can be used to initiate a notification at each mobile deviceidentified from the match result. A matching function can include auser-defined automatic match alert trigger or filter. Through aninterface, a user may access the collaboration system 26 and entersearch terms or phrases (for example, terms such as “hungry,” “coffee,”“Duke University,” “looking for roommate,” etc.), scanning and matchpreferences such as a desired attributes, match strength thresholds,scan distance, window of time each day to scan, scan only when moving,stop scanning when stationary for a period of time, and so on. Thesystem 26 can store the search terms or other data, and automaticallyand continually execute a matching technique, method, algorithm, or thelike based on the inputs and compare the search terms against the otherstored user and/or virtual bulletin board data. The system 26 canidentify matches and return a match result described herein.

Another matching function can include a user-defined random contactgenerator, referred to as “user roulette.” Here, the system 26 mayreceive a request from a mobile device 12, or other electronic devicesuch as a desktop computer under the control of a user, to match theuser with other nearby users for the purpose of forming new connections.The request and any criteria for inclusion such as profile data can bestored at a storage device in communication with the collaborationsystem 26. The criteria can include but not be limited to a currentdistance from the user, attributes, how many other users to match, howoften to match users, time of day to match users, and so on. A user viaa mobile device 12 or other electronic device can execute a random matchrequest, for example, selecting a hyperlink at a display on the mobiledevice 12, that transmits the request to the collaboration system 26,which can identify other registered mobile devices 12, and outputrelevant response data such as user profile data to the mobile device12. The system 26 can output other notification data such as anintroduction, coupons, and so on, which can be used when forming aconnection

Another matching function can include a user-defined virtual invitation,also referred to as a smart flier, virtual post, or virtual flier. Here,a user may post an electronic, geo-tagged ‘virtual flier’ to inviteother users to join the user for an activity such as a meeting, soccergame, and so on. The user can create an electronic flier with trigger orattribute information described herein, and post it to the system 26. Ifanother user is determined by the collaboration system 26 to match theattribute information, the other user can receive at a mobile device, orcomputer or other electronic device a message containing theinformation. For example, an employee of a company may be interested ina jog during lunch, and my post a smart flier that indicates that theemployee is looking for fellow joggers. The data associated with theflier may include inputs such as activity type (run), time to post (12p.m.), matching criteria such as search terms (run, runner), search time(9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.), distance from user (100 m), etc. The user canpopulate a form input on their mobile device 12, or upload apre-designated flier to the mobile device 12. The flier data can belocated at the mobile device 12 of the jogger, and alert other mobiledevice users within their vicinity of a jogger. Alternatively, the usermay pin or post the information at a certain location, whereby whenanother user walks by the location, a trigger is activated at the user'smobile device 12, indicating a match result. If a user wishes to postthe information at a location, the user may via a user-initiated requestestablish a tag with respect to the flier, which includes a currentlocation or other data. The collaboration system 26 can associate theuser's location at the time of the tag. The flier and/or data is thenassociated with the location and only users that pass within thevicinity of the location may receive a notification. Even if the usersubsequently moves away from the location, the flier remains “posted” atthe location, even though the mobile device 12 is no longer physicallylocated at the location. Alternatively, a user may both post the flierat the location and carry the flier around. In any such example, afterusers are matched the 2 party opt-in method may be performed inaccordance with an embodiment resulting in a communication.

The system 26 can be programmed by an administrator or user to create aset of administrative location triggers that match mobile device userswith each other based on an administrator's matching preferences. Theadministrative location triggers can co-exist with, run simultaneouslywith, and/or complement user-defined triggers, for example, describedherein. This feature permits users to be matched with other users withwhom they would not otherwise be typically inclined to connect with, andallows an administrator, for example, a human resources manager, or anevent manager, to “force” a match between users. An administrator canestablish various triggers based on attributes, windows of time,distances, for example, to create an automatic match result when usersare at a predetermined distance from each other.

An administrator can enter “matching terms” that the administratorwishes to use to identify current users who may benefit from knowingother registered users. Such terms can include but not be limited touser professional attributes such as current roles, past projects,experience, academic credentials, and so on or personal attributes andpreferences such as interests and hobbies. Other terms can be applied toprovide a number of people the administrator desires a user to identifyor be matched with, and to form groups.

Matches or alerts between Users can be created based on criteria thesystem designated (i.e., it could override User search preferences) forpurpose of facilitating group meet-ups and encouraging newconnections/collaborations. For example, if a group coupon was ‘floated’in a certain location, multiple Users may be alerted to itsavailability, and encouraged to group up with people that may be nearbyto claim it (e.g., it is a bar that requires >5 people to show up toredeem it), thus Users may receive matches by the system to other Usersthat would not normally be triggered by their search settings, for thepurpose of encouraging new people to connect with new people, form a newgroup, and come in and claim the coupon (and thus meet some new peopleand get a great discount).

Mobile device users may program multiple profiles for various situations(work hours, weekends, work colleagues, personal friends, strangers,etc.). The system may automatically display a certain profile whenmatching the User to another based on the attributes of that other user.For example, while walking around downtown during work hours, a User ismatched with another user. The system may choose to automaticallydisplay each Users ‘professional daytime profile’ to the other as it isduring work hours and the system designates each of them asprofessionals. However, while walking around at night during theweekend, the same user's ‘personal’ or weekend profile may be displayedto other Users as the system 26 knows it is a weekend and the two Usersare both out socializing.

The system 26 may allow for “location scrambling” (e.g., as displayed onmaps) to keep actual User location unknown to other users on map, onlyif User releases it/grants viewing rights to another will the other Userthen see their actual location on their map and be able to navigate tothem. For example, after the two Users pass through the 2-way opt-inmethod (or perhaps before hand) they may see each other on a mapdisplay. However, if a User wants to protect their safety, they may havechosen a setting to ‘scramble’ their location on the map. Thus, theother User(s) would know they are generally in the area, but not seeexactly where as their icon on the map would be purposely placedoff-center of their location. If the User at any point comfortableletting the other User(s) know exactly where they are, they may turn offthe scrambling and suddenly their exact location would be visible on theother User(s) maps/displays.

The system 26 may use social maps of Users that may visually provideinformation about their shared connections. For example, before or afterthe 2 way opt-in method, the User(s) may be able to see a social graphor description (“5 friends in common”) indicating how many degrees ofseparation/common friends they may have with each other (for the purposeof assessing the safety and desirability of connecting with that otherperson).

The system 26 can be configured so that contacts added to a mobiledevice user contact list may include various information such as time ofadd, location of add, etc. For example, if two Users are matched witheach other and grab coffee, they may choose to save each other to acontact list. In this case, the contact file/data may be ‘smart’ andinclude information such as the coordinates at which they met/hadcoffee, the time of day, etc.

Virtual bulletin boards (i.e., stations with various data tagged withthat geospatial coordinates) may allow system 26 to detect a matchbetween a user and the data and allow the User to “grab” and store thedata as they walk by—triggered by a match between the User's profile andattributes of the data. They may later be able to view it, display it,share it, etc. An example application may include businesses that maycreate a location-based profile and market to those Users passing byaround them (flyers, coupons, etc.)

A retailer or other user associated with a business establishment with asmart phone may create a profile and ‘hang’ coupons or other itemsvirtually outside their store. As Users on the system walk around, theymay detect these coupons.

“Smart briefcases or wallets” may be used by Users to manually orautomatically collect and store geo-tagged data and/or marketinginformation from such virtual bulletin boards as they walk around. Forexample, a User may be walking around and the system 26 would match theUser(s) with location based data (e.g., a coupon, etc.) and it wouldautomatically ‘pick up’ or virtually tear off the coupon and place it intheir virtual briefcase or wallet, either manually, whereby the User isalerted to the presence of the coupon or information hanging above themon the street, or automatically, whereby the system 26 recognizes thematch and places the electronic coupon in their briefcase for them toview or use later.

Contact Handoffs/Referrals may allow a first mobile device user tovirtually “grab” a second user's contact information and then as theywalk around, the second user's contact information may trigger an eventthat only relates to and involves that other second user—such as a thirduser may be notified of that second users contact information withoutthe first user being notified of the match. In one example, the system26 matches two users and after going through the 2 way opt-in privacystep a communication is created and they meet up for coffee. One of them(Mike) is selling a bike, and tells the other (Bob) if they can helpthem find someone to buy it, they will give them a 10% commission. Theyleave, and as Bob walks around he may walk by someone (John) who islooking for a bike (based on a match of their profile information). Thesystem 26 may recognize this as a match, matching John with Bob eventhough Bob doesn't have the bike, but he is ‘carrying’ information aboutthe bike and has the opportunity to chat with John, tell him about it,and ends up selling it (connects John with the bike owner) and thus getsa commission for the ‘sale’.

An administrator may run analytics and reports summarizing variousmatches made by the system 26 (e.g., in past 7 days), how many 2 wayopt-in events were successful or not, how many coupons were offered andsubsequently redeemed, etc.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference tospecific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in theart that various changes in form and detail may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for establishing a communication betweenmobile devices, comprising: registering a plurality of mobile deviceswith a collaboration system, each mobile device including profile data;receiving search criteria of a first registered mobile device and asecond registered mobile device, wherein the search criteria includesname information; determining a first match between the search criteriaof the first registered mobile device and the profile data of the secondregistered mobile device; determining a second match between the searchcriteria of the second registered mobile device and the profile data ofthe first registered mobile device; outputting for display to the firstregistered mobile device, in response to the first match a first list ofuser identifications, the first list including an identification of auser of the second registered mobile device; outputting for display tothe second registered mobile device, in response to the second match asecond list of user identifications, the second list including anidentification of a user of the first registered mobile device, whereinthe first list or the second list includes one and only one useridentification or a plurality of user identifications; providing at thefirst registered mobile device an option for the user of the firstregistered mobile device whether to select the identification of thesecond registered mobile device user from the first list; providing atthe second registered mobile device an option for the user of the secondregistered mobile device whether to select the identification of thefirst registered mobile device user from the second list; receiving aselection preference for the identification of the second registeredmobile device user from the first list; receiving a selection preferencefor the identification of the first registered mobile device user fromthe second list; and outputting a notification to the first registeredmobile device of at least one of a location or an element of the profiledata of the second registered mobile device and outputting anotification to the second registered mobile device of at least one of alocation, or an element of the profile data of the first registeredmobile device, wherein the profile data of the first registered mobiledevice and the second registered mobile device includes at least one ofa name, a social relationship between the first and second registeredmobile device users, location, an attribute, a status, personalinformation, a common interest, current or historical location data,previously or currently selected user identifications, or a scanningpreference or search criteria.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein whenthe user of the first registered mobile device selects none of theidentifications of the first list or selects an identification otherthan the identification of the second registered mobile device user,anonymity of the first registered mobile device is preserved, and thenotification is prevented and the location or element of the profiledata of the first registered mobile device is not revealed to the userof the second registered mobile device.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein when the user of the second registered mobile device selectsnone of the identifications of the second list or selects anidentification other than the identification of the first registeredmobile device user, anonymity of the second registered mobile device ispreserved and the notification is prevented and the location or elementof the profile data of the second registered mobile device is notrevealed to the user of the first registered mobile device.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein anonymity of the user of the first registeredmobile device is preserved if the user of the first registered mobiledevice selects the user of the second registered mobile device and theuser of the second registered mobile device does not select the user ofthe first registered mobile device.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereinanonymity of the user of the second registered mobile device ispreserved if the user of the second registered mobile device selects theuser of the first registered mobile device and the user of the firstregistered mobile device does not select the user of the second.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first or second match is prevented if thefirst and second user are greater than, less than or equal to apredetermined strength of relationship.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the predetermined strength of relationship is one degree ofsocial separation.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more stepsof the method are stored in a memory and executed by a hardwareprocessor of a computer.
 9. A method for establishing communicationsbetween mobile devices, comprising: registering a plurality of mobiledevices on a collaboration system, each device including profile data,wherein the profile data includes at least name information; processingby the collaboration system search criteria for a user of each of afirst mobile device and a second mobile device, wherein the searchcriteria includes the at least name information; identifying by thecollaboration system a match between the first and second mobile devicesbased on the profile data and the search criteria of the first andsecond mobile devices; in response to identifying the match, outputtingfrom the collaboration system to one of the first or second mobiledevices an information notification of a presence of the other of thefirst or second mobile devices, including providing an at least oneprofile data element of a first tier display of profile information tothe one of the first or second mobile devices, the first tier display ofprofile information including the at least one profile data element ofthe other of the first or second mobile devices; receiving from theother of the first and second mobile devices selection data for the oneof the first or second mobile devices, which in response authorizes asecond tier display of profile information of the other of the first orsecond mobile devices to be displayed on the one of the first or secondmobile devices, wherein the second tier display of profile informationincludes at least one profile data element that is different than thefirst tier display of profile information, and wherein: in response tothe users of the first and second mobile devices selecting each other,outputting a notification from the collaboration system to the firstmobile device informing the user of the first mobile device of theselection of the first mobile device by the user of the second mobiledevice, and outputting a notification from the collaboration system tothe second mobile device informing the user of the second mobile deviceof the selection of the second mobile device by the user of the firstmobile device.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least oneprofile data element of the first tier display of profile informationincludes a name, picture, identifier or other attribute or profile dataelement.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one differentprofile data element of the second tier display includes a commonalitybetween the first or second user, a usage statistic, information about acurrent or past user selection of the first or second user or any otherprofile data element.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein theinformation about a current or past user selection of the first orsecond user includes information about whether the first user hasselected the second user or the second user has selected the first user.13. The method of claim 9, wherein in response to the users of the firstand second mobile devices selecting each other, outputting for displaythe second tier display of profile information of the other of the firstor second mobile devices to the one of the first or second mobiledevices and outputting for display the second tier display of profileinformation of the one of the first or second mobile devices to theother of the first or second mobile devices.
 14. The method of claim 9,wherein in response to the user of the first or second mobile devicefailing to authorize the second tier display of profile information tobe displayed on the first or second mobile device, outputting fordisplay only the first tier display of profile information to the firstand second device.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the profile dataincludes a picture, name, current or past user selection, usagestatistic, status, scanning preference, search criteria, personalinformation, current or historical location data, biographicalinformation, demographic information, interests, age, social medialinks, e-mail address or contact information, or other attribute. 16.The method of claim 9, wherein the notification includes first or secondtier profile data including a picture, name, commonality between thefirst or second user, a usage statistic, information about a current orpast user selection of the first or second user, or any other profiledata or attribute.
 17. The method of claim 9, wherein the notificationincludes an option to establish a communication between the first andsecond mobile device.
 18. The method of claim 9, wherein one or moresteps of the method are stored in a memory and executed by a hardwareprocessor of a computer.
 19. The method of claim 9, wherein the match isprevented if the first and second user are greater than, less than orequal to a predetermined strength of relationship.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, wherein the predetermined strength of relationship is onedegree of social separation.
 21. A method for establishingcommunications between mobile devices, comprising: registering aplurality of mobile devices on a system; receiving search criteria for auser of each of a first mobile device and a second mobile device of theplurality of mobile devices; receiving location information of each ofthe first and second mobile devices; identifying a match between thefirst and second mobile devices based on a first profile and the searchcriteria and the location information of the first and second mobiledevices; wherein: each of the first and second mobile device includesthe first profile and a second profile, the second profile comprising atleast one profile element different than the first profile, in responseto a first activation by the first and second mobile devices, the firstprofile is processed to identify the match, and the activation istriggered by the preferences of the user of the first and second mobiledevice; in response to a second activation different than the firstactivation, the first profile is prevented from identifying the match;and a second match different than the first match is identified based ondata elements of the second profile of the first or second mobiledevice.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the match is identified bythe social or professional relationship between the users of the firstand second mobile devices or a personal or professional social graph orother attribute.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein in response to asecond activation only the second profile is used to identify a match.24. The method of claim 21, wherein the match is prevented if the firstand second user are greater than, less than or equal to a predeterminedstrength of relationship.
 25. The method of claim 21, wherein thepredetermined strength of the relationship is one degree of socialseparation.
 26. The method of claim 21, wherein one or more steps of themethod are stored in a memory and executed by a hardware processor of acomputer.
 27. A server device for establishing communications betweenmobile devices, comprising: a processor that receives registration datafrom a plurality of mobile devices on a system; a processor thatreceives search criteria for a user of each of a first mobile device anda second mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices; a processorthat receives location information of each of the first and secondmobile devices; a match-identifying processor that identifies a matchbetween the first and second mobile devices based on a first profile andthe search criteria and the location information of the first and secondmobile devices; wherein: each of the first and second mobile deviceincludes the first profile and a second profile, the second profilecomprising at least one profile element different than the firstprofile, in response to a first activation by the first and secondmobile devices, the match-identifying processor identifies the matchusing the first profile, and the activation is triggered by thepreferences of the user of the first and second mobile device; inresponse to a second activation different than the first activation, thefirst profile is prevented from identifying the match; and a secondmatch different than the first match is identified based on dataelements of the second profile of the first or second mobile device. 28.The server device of claim 27, wherein the server device communicateswith a user interface of the first or second mobile device to receivethe first activation instructed by the user of one of the first orsecond mobile devices.